Ukraine invasion: Survivors from bombed Mariupol theatre start to emerge

Survivors have started to emerge from the ruins of a theatre hit by a Russian airstrike in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Wednesday.

Up to 1,000 men, women and children were seeking refuge in the theatre's basement when the building took a direct hit. The shelter is understood to have stood firm.

Rescuers are trying to clear rubble blocking the entrance to the basement, while the city remains under renewed airstrikes from Russian forces.

It is unclear whether there are any deaths or injuries among those still inside.

Mariupol has been the scene of intense shelling by Russian forces in a bid to overcome the stiff defence being put up by the Ukrainian military.

Ukraine's ombudswoman Ludmyla Denisova said on the Telegram messaging app: "The building withstood the impact of a high-powered air bomb and protected the lives of people hiding in the bomb shelter."

She and Ukrainian parliament member Sergiy Taruta said some survivors had emerged.

"People are coming out alive," Mr Taruta wrote on Facebook, though he did not say how many.

The Russian defence ministry has denied bombing the theatre or anywhere else in Mariupol on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has continued his tour de force of western parliaments by addressing the German Bundestag on Thursday.

Zelensky told German MPs that a new type of Berlin Wall is being built, dividing Europe between freedom and oppression.

He thanked Germany for its support during Russia's invasion but he also criticised German energy policy and business interests for contributing to that wall of division.

Over the past week, Zelensky has been pitching his message to allies, giving tailor-made speeches to hit on the sweet spots of his audiences. On Wednesday, he referenced Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 terror attacks when addressing the US Congress.

And in his address to the House of Commons in London last week, his message was partly a homage to Winston Churchill's wartime speeches.

Germany had initially been reluctant to take a tough stance against Russia, partly because of its dependence on Russian gas and other trade links.

However, the German government eventually shifted gear and stopped the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project and the parliament voted to supply weapons to the Ukrainian military.

Russia invaded Ukraine three weeks ago and has been bombing key cities all over the country.

Russian forces have occupied swaths of Ukrainian territory in the south, north and east but their advance has been stalled by the Ukrainian resistance and logistical problems.