Mariupol Before and After Photos Reveal How Russia Has Devastated Ukraine

Updated images of Mariupol by Google Earth show the extent of the devastation caused by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The port city in the Donetsk region was one of the first targets for Russian forces after the war started on February 24, 2022.

There were global expressions of outrage after around 600 people were killed when a theater in the city used as a bomb shelter was hit by Russian air strikes on March 16, even though the word "children" had been painted outside in a desperate appeal to the humanity of the invaders. Russia denied it had carried out the attacks.

A maternity ward was also hit and after weeks of fighting, shelling and a three-month siege, the city surrendered in May 2022 and remains under Russian occupation.

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Ukrainian officials have said that at least 20,000 civilians have been killed and more than 90 percent of its buildings were damaged or destroyed. Google Earth's latest images show the stark evidence of this destruction which was shared by social media users.

One of them was Taras Mishchenko, the Kyiv-based founder of the Ukrainian technology website Mezha Media, who told Newsweek that the images are apparently from March and early April 2022, as the city's Azovstal iron and steel plant, which was besieged by Russian forces and later leveled, was still visible.

"Despite the fact that Ukrainians have been living in war for over a year now, and we know all about the war crimes of the Russians, new images of destroyed Ukrainian cities are always shocking," he told Newsweek.

"In a city that was home to nearly 500,000 people by 2022 and was actively developing, there are almost no intact buildings left."

Many took to Twitter to express their horror at the devastation. "I am in a very dark wormhole of staring at the devastation and clicking on pins of places that used to be instead of today's ruins," tweeted Varenichok Eristavi. "Now it is possible to see the arrival of the festering 'Russian peace' more clearly," tweeted Roman Kyryliuk.

Open source investigative outlet Bellingcat tweeted that the Google Earth images were likely to have been taken in March 2022 and so did not reflect the full destruction of the city.

The virtual map program, which creates 3D representation of the planet through satellite images and aerial photography, does not constantly update its imagery.

Google Earth says its photos update around once a month but there are many areas whose pictures are around three years old due to time and money constraints, according to TechCult.

In March, Russian media reported that President Vladimir Putin paid a surprise visit to Mariupol, with an official video showing him apparently driving through the streets and speaking to people.