In Photos: In Russian-Occupied Mariupol, Locals Try to Return to Everyday Life Amid the Ruins
Once a vibrant port on the Sea of Azov in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, the city of Mariupol was razed to the ground during a siege by Russian forces that lasted from February to May last year.
Russian authorities launched reconstruction efforts shortly after gaining full control of the port city, rushing to erect new apartment buildings and pave fresh roads.
But more than a year into the Russian occupation, the city’s landscape is still full of the scars left by the relentless Russian offensive:
Russian authorities launched reconstruction efforts shortly after gaining full control of the port city, rushing to erect new apartment buildings and pave fresh roads.
But more than a year into the Russian occupation, the city’s landscape is still full of the scars left by the relentless Russian offensive:
Up to 90% of multistory residential apartment buildings and 60% of standalone private houses have been damaged or destroyed during the siege, according to estimates by the United Nations.
Arthur Novosiltsev / Moskva News Agency
The UN Human Rights Office was able to verify 1,348 civilian deaths in hostilities in the city, including 70 children.
The word "children" can be seen spray-painted on this gate to a residential yard.
The word "children" can be seen spray-painted on this gate to a residential yard.
Arthur Novosiltsev / Moskva News Agency
But the real death toll could be thousands higher than the number of UN-verified casualties.
Arthur Novosiltsev / Moskva News Agency
Ukrainian officials estimate that as many as 25,000 residents of Mariupol perished during the siege.
Arthur Novosiltsev / Moskva News Agency
And the UN estimated that as many as 350,000 residents of Mariupol left the city amid the hostilities.
Arthur Novosiltsev / Moskva News Agency
Despite the looming possibility of Ukraine retaking control of the city, Russian online marketplace Avito has multiple postings by Russians looking to buy property in the occupied city.
Arthur Novosiltsev / Moskva News Agency
Russian officials claim that over 1,800 buildings in Mariupol were restored and 36 buildings built from the ground up by March this year.
Arthur Novosiltsev / Moskva News Agency
Following the attack on the bridge linking annexed Crimea with mainland Russia earlier this month, Russian holiday-goers were invited to travel to the peninsula using the road going through Mariupol.
Arthur Novosiltsev / Moskva News Agency
"We were looking at the bombed city, some parts were already repaired — it is worth seeing it with your own eyes," one Russian man who traveled through Mariupol said in an interview with the independent journalism cooperative Bereg.
Arthur Novosiltsev / Moskva News Agency
"Mariupol is just ruins...The Azovstal [steel plant], of course, impressed us with its dimensions," another Russian traveler told Bereg.
Arthur Novosiltsev / Moskva News Agency
Meanwhile, the Russian army has used Mariupol as a hub for transporting equipment to the frontlines. On Monday, Ukrainian authorities said they observed at least two large military convoys passing through the city in the direction of the occupied city of Berdiansk in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Arthur Novosiltsev / Moskva News Agency
