Russia’s war in Ukraine entered its fourth week on Thursday with civilian areas battered from the air, Moscow’s military offensive stalled on the ground and little sign of an imminent end to the conflict or the humanitarian crisis it has fueled.
Ukraine accused Russian forces of bombing a theater in besieged Mariupol that was sheltering hundreds of people and, according to satellite images from the U.S. government-linked technology firm Maxar, appeared to have the word ‘CHILDREN’ written outside the building in huge white letters.
The fate of those inside was not known, but Russia’s bombardment of its democratic neighbor has already forced more than 3 million people to flee and stoked an intense global backlash. President Joe Biden labeled Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal on Wednesday, while matching his new rhetorical step with a promise of fresh military support for Kyiv after its leader pleaded with the United States and its allies to do more to help his country defend itself against the Russian onslaught.
Washington has stopped short of fulfilling some of Ukraine’s main requests, fearing an escalation into a broader European conflict, but in an interview with NBC News after his address to Congress, President Zelenskyy warned that World War III “may have already started.”
