Zelenskyy claims 'tens of thousands' killed by Russian military in Mariupol

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Former US ambassador to Ukraine warns 'Russia has put us in a different world' as Putin's assault continues

Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor joined 'Fox News Live' to discuss NATO's response to the invasion and military aid to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that "Mariupol is destroyed, tens of thousands people [are] dead but Russians are still continuing the military operation." 

Zelenskyy made the remark while addressing South Korean lawmakers. 

"Ukraine needs various military technologies from airplanes to tanks," he reportedly said, according to Reuters. "South Korea can help us." 

A woman on Friday pulls her bags past houses damaged during a fighting in Mariupol. (AP/Alexei Alexandrov)

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Mariupol officials have estimated that roughly 5,000 civilians had been killed, but warned last week that given the size of the destruction caused to the city the death toll could be in the tens of thousands. 

The Mariupol City Council last week also accused Russian forces of relying on a mobile crematorium to cover up their alleged war crimes there. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses members of the South Korea Parliament via video link at the National assembly on Monday. (Chung Sung-Jun/Pool Photo via AP)

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Mariupol, which has been partially occupied for weeks, has been the target of one of the most brutal Russian offensives in Ukraine since the invasion began on Feb. 24. 

On Monday, the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence said "Russian forces prior use of phosphorous munitions in the Donetsk Oblast raises the possibility of their future employment in Mariupol as fighting for the city intensifies." 

Fox News’ Caitlin McFall and James Levinson contributed to this report.