Russians cover ruins of Mariupol Drama Theater with banners, despite earlier promises to reopen it before September 10

The Russian Air Force launched a strike on the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater in Mariupol on March 16. In June, international human rights group Amnesty International concluded its investigation, categorizing Russia's attack on the drama theater as a war crime. Amnesty International commissioned a mathematic model of the explosion from a physicist to determine the weight of explosives necessary to cause such destruction. The scientist concluded that the Russian aircraft dropped two 400-800 kilogram bombs that detonated simultaneously. The attack was most likely carried out by Su-25, Su-30, or Su-34 jets, based at nearby Russian airfields and frequently flying missions over southern Ukraine.

Having interviewed eyewitnesses, Associated Press journalists concluded that the death toll of the strike stood at around 600. To estimate the number of casualties, they used two plans of the theater premises, photographs and videos made both before and after the airstrike, and expert conclusions. The Russian military may have removed some of the bodies, AP remarks.