Amna Nawaz
@PBSNewsHour·5.3M subscribers·62.2K videos
The 'defining atrocity' of the Russia-Ukraine war
Posted
July 18, 2026
Views
9,403
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431
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July 18, 2026
9,403
431
4.58%
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2:03Now PlayingThe Donetsk Regional Academic Drama Theater was the cultural center of Mariupol, the second-largest city in Ukraine’s southeast.
In the early days of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian soldiers besieged Mariupol, home to a large sea port, arts festivals and iron and steel plants. On March 16, 2022, a Russian airstrike on the Mariupol theater killed many civilians sheltering inside, including women, children and families.
"I believe it was the defining atrocity of the Ukraine war," author James Verini told Compass Points host Nick Schifrin.
Verini added that the attack was when Ukraine and the world "first realized just what Putin and the Kremlin and the Russian military were willing to do to prosecute this war."
Compass Points from PBS News analyzes prominent international affairs topics and America’s role in a shifting world, breaking down global conflicts, rising tensions, and their implications for U.S. interests. Visit the PBS News website to watch this week's episode.
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