Russian forces have invaded and bombed a mosque sheltering more than 80 people in the besieged city of Mariupol, the Ukrainian government has claimed.

As Russian troops inch closer Kyiv, Mariupol has seen some of the greatest misery from Vladimir Putin’s war as unceasing barrages have thwarted repeated attempts to bring in food, water and evacuate trapped civilians.

According to the Ukrainian Embassy in Turkey, a group of 86 Turkish nationals, including 34 children, were among the people who had sought safety in the mosque of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Roksolana.

Although the foreign ministry said the place of worship ‘was shelled by Russian invaders,’ there was no report of casualties.

As of Friday, the death toll in Mariupol passed 1,500 during 12 days of attack, the mayor’s office said.

Recall that a strike on a the country’s maternity hospital this week killed three people leading to outrage and allegations of war crimes by the international community.