Ukrainian authorities estimate that at least 30 people are dead so far after pro-Russian rebels launched a new attack on the strategic port city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian government says Russian troops are helping them; Russia says Ukraine started it, but there’s evidence that it’s has been pouring in troops and weapons (paywall) recently.
Car dashboard cams are common in Russia and Ukraine (basically because police are so crooked that a dashcam is the only reliable source of evidence when there’s an accident), and drivers as well as pedestrians in Mariupol have been uploading some striking and occasionally terrifying footage of what it’s like to be in a city under fire. (Note: We haven’t independently identified the authenticity of these videos, but they were all uploaded today and appear to show similar scenes.)
This driver narrowly a escaped a rocket landing on the road a few dozen yards ahead:
Video from a parked car captures a rocket barrage in the distance that sets of a cacophony of car alarms:
Another driver offers an impromptu tour of damage in the city:
This is footage of what appears to be the casing of a rocket buried in the tarmac, with debris all around:
This pedestrian has footage of burning buildings, wreckage, and what appears to be someone either dead or injured lying on the sidewalk.
More pedestrian footage: