Italy to Rebuild Destroyed Mariupol Theatre, Zelensky Thanks Franceschini

Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini announced on Twitter that Italy will rebuild the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theatre in Mariupol, which was destroyed by Russian bombing. The theatre, a neoclassical landmark built in 1960 with grey Crimean stone, had sheltered 130 people, with the word "Children" written outside in a failed attempt to protect it. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Franceschini, saying "Together we will rebuild the country brick by brick." Mariupol is the most devastated city in Ukraine, with 80% of buildings damaged, 50-100 daily airstrikes, and an estimated 2,500 civilian deaths. Around 350,000 people are trapped without electricity, water, or heating. The theatre hosted works by Tolstoy, Pushkin, Chekhov, and Marshak.