Ukrainian mayors under Russian siege plead for help and say they're being targeted in a 'genocide': 'We are helpless against the bombing'

• Ukrainian mayors of cities under Russian siege painted a grim picture on Wednesday of the terror unfolding in the regions.
• Mariupol's deputy mayor, Serhiy Orlov, called Russia's attack on Ukraine "pure genocide."

Ukrainian mayors of cities under Russian siege painted a grim picture on Wednesday of the terror and humanitarian crises unfolding in their regions as they put out an urgent plea for Western powers to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine in order to put a stop to the daily bombing across the country.

"Most local casualties were inflicted by bombing and we are helpless against the bombing. Please help us," pleaded Serhiy Orlov, the deputy mayor of the southeastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

Mariupol is being attacked on all sides, and Orlov said during a Zoom call with reporters that Russian forces have blocked the delivery of food and water supply, destroyed communication infrastructure, and bombed all of the city's power lines, cutting off electricity.

"The war waged by Russia isn't simply treacherous — it's a war crime," he said. "The only aim of which is the genocide and we have seen for ourselves that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin aims to capture Mariupol despite any destruction, despite the human cost."

Orlov called Putin's attack on Ukraine "pure genocide" and "a war against the civilian people."

He said that on Tuesday alone 1,200 civilians were killed in the city as a result of Russia's war against Ukraine. His count is much higher than death toll estimates from the United Nations — the UN human rights office said on Wednesday that 516 civilians, including 37 children, had been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded.

However, the UN human rights office said it believes the real death toll is "considerably higher."

Orlov told reporters on Wednesday that the city has tried to open a humanitarian corridor for up to 200,000 residents desperate to flee, but said that Russian forces have shelled the route.

"No humanitarian corridor is allowed by the Russian troops. They are bombing the corridor," he said, adding that Mariupol "has been continuously shelled" by "all types of weaponry owned by the Russian Federation," including missile launchers.

The city, Orlov said, has "reached the medieval times because the only way to cook food is an open fire."

"I would have never thought this would happen," he said.

Orlov said, however, that Ukrainian forces are still putting up a fierce defense against Russian troops.

Several other Ukrainian mayors on the Zoom call detailed how their cities have suffered destruction and civilian deaths since Putin launched Russia's war with Ukraine two weeks ago.

Yuriy Bova, the mayor of Trostyanets in the Sumy region, said Russian forces have been killing civilians and leaving the city's social infrastructure "devastated" as they loot and destroy shops and businesses.

"These are people killing civilians," Bova said. "Many people were killed who did nothing to warrant it — they were simply walking down the street and they were simply shot."

Bova said that Russian troops have blocked roads to the city, cutting off access for humanitarian aid, adding that the city is "running out of medication" and food supply.

Bova called on the West to "please provide a no-fly zone" over Ukraine because "thousands of people will die."

"We need to help [Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces] with everything we can because we need to preserve our towns and villages … from these invaders who are brutal," he said.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov echoed those remarks, saying that the "first primary necessity is protecting the sky."

"Because people are killed from the sky, planes bomb us from the sky," Terekhov said.

He added that Ukrainian cities under siege are in need of food, medications like insulin, and warm clothing.

Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine Oleksiy Chernyshov said on the Zoom call that the Ukrainian mayors were speaking out "to share with the media of the world the truth about what is going on, on the ground with Ukrainian cities."

None of Ukraine's mayors have fled amid the Russian invasion or "abandoned his city," Chernyshov said as he vowed that Ukraine "will never, ever surrender" to Russia.

"We need to show the entire world all the areas of life have been affected," Chernyshov. "There is just one solution — we need to put a stop to the aggression and the first start to it is to have a no-fly zone over Ukraine."

He continued, "The people die as we speak. This is unacceptable. We need to pull our efforts and try to shield our skies."

"This is the most pressing need of our country today, sheltering the sky" Chernyshov said. "And I am certain that the world has to heed our plea."

"There is no other way to help restore peace in Ukraine," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also repeatedly called on NATO leaders to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

NATO has said that establishing a no-fly zone would escalate the Russian invasion of Ukraine, turning it into "a full-fledged war in Europe, involving many more countries and causing much more human suffering."