Kyiv [Ukraine]: Over 2,500 Mariupol residents have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine, said Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday.

“More than 2,500 people have been killed, according to official reports from the city authorities. And this is a catastrophe to which the world has not given a proper assessment,” CNN quoted Arestovych as saying.

On February 24, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics requested help in defending themselves.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger.

The West however denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia’s operation in Ukraine.