Mariupol has been more than 80% destroyed since the war began, but the city, now under a Russian administration, is the subject of a Russian Defense Ministry-funded reconstruction project.
Burned-out buildings, devastated houses… The city of Mariupol in southern Donbass was almost completely destroyed by the Russian offensive in Ukraine. But Vladimir Putin wants to make this city the showcase of his conquest of Donbass by constructing new buildings and planning to rehabilitate them to attract hundreds of thousands of new residents.
Mariupol has long been the symbol of the most devastated city in Donbass, recalls Paul Gogo, journalist and co-director of the documentary Ukraine, in the heart of the occupied territories, which will be broadcast on BFMTV on Monday evening.
New apartments habitable for free
Dima, met by the Ligne Rouge reporters, can live in one of his apartments with his partner Irina without paying rent and for no time limit, although they are not landlords. “We were assigned an apartment 24 square meters larger than my old apartment, all for free,” says the couple.
“It’s a new apartment, the interior work has already been done,” enthuses the future resident.
“Russia built all this, we are grateful to them. They didn’t let people down, they helped us return to normal life,” Dima told BFMTV reporters.
On the ground, Vladimir Putin’s propaganda is well organized, noted Paul Gogo. “There are somewhat strange construction sites in the center of Mariupol,” and not only buildings that will provide housing in the future. “There are also parks that appear with fountains in the middle of squares surrounded by completely charred buildings.”
A titanic rehabilitation project
Russia wants to turn Mariupol into a coastal city with a marina and a large tourist beach, all facilities designed to persuade residents to return to this war-torn city. The Kremlin wants to have 500,000 Russian residents in the city by 2035 and is providing the means for this: All work is being financed by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Mariupol for his first visit to the occupied zone. He had toured the city, driven a car himself, talked to local residents, visited sights and received a report on the reconstruction of this destroyed city.
But this visit by the Kremlin master to this newly created district is “not necessarily a good thing” for the residents, according to Paul Gogo. “They are afraid that it has become a symbol, and now they are even afraid that Ukraine will attack these buildings.”
The reporters met pro-Russians, but also pro-Ukrainians who agreed to accept this type of housing. “There’s not necessarily a lot of enthusiasm, but in Mariupol in general the population is still reeling from the siege.” At the moment there is no return movement of people from Mariupol.
In Lugansk advertising the glory of the Kremlin
Lugansk, annexed by Russia last September, is one of the main cities of Donbass in eastern Ukraine. “Russia is about traditions and values that we grew up with,” it said.
“There is no opposition here, there are only two options, either you support Russia or you remain silent,” denounced a driver who asked for anonymity in Lugansk.
“I live under occupation,” he still regrets, while Moscow wants to fully integrate this area of Donbass into the Russian Federation. Residents there receive Russian passports, about 30,000 a month. Anyone who does not receive them will be deported to Ukraine from July.
In Mariupol, the counter-offensive is on everyone’s lips, “everyone is careful,” explains Paul Gogo, especially on this question of passing. “We are afraid to ask for the Russian passport because we are afraid of being considered a collaborator if we return from Ukraine.”
Paul Gogo with Marine Ledoux