President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week following the strike that hundreds of people, believed mostly to be women and children, had taken in the building at the time of the attack.

Mariupol city hall said Friday the theatre was destroyed in a "cynical" attack and claimed that Russia knew civilians were taking refuge in the building.

Zelensky says nearly 100,000 people are trapped without food, water or power in the besieged city and enduring fierce shelling by Russian forces.

The leader of Russia's southern republic of Chechnya said Thursday that forces from his region had taken control of Mariupol city hall and hoisted the Russian flag.