The Russian army captured Mariupol in May 2022 after a two-month siege. In March 2023, the city was unexpectedly visited by Vladimir Putin, who talked with local residents in the courtyard of a newly built house. One of the president's interlocutors claims that she "saw him through the window and went out into the street." But the exclamation “It’s all not true, it’s for show,” which appeared on the video on the Kremlin’s website (which was later quickly edited), eloquently indicates the opposite.
Mariupol resident Anastasia (not her real name) told The Insider that the day before Putin's visit, 15 of her close acquaintances were sent to jail without any explanation. Volunteer Irina (not her real name), who brings humanitarian aid to the city, says the same thing:
“People are afraid to talk a lot. Before Putin's arrival, many were locked up in a pre-trial detention center. What can we talk about here … They brought extras again. ”
Residents of the city are afraid to say too much, she adds:
“Now they listen and monitor all social networks, all calls. A friend called me, complained, really wanted to leave – he has big health problems. The military came to him the next day with the words “it’s bad for you, that means.” There, it seems to me, even the walls already have ears.
What about housing
According to the UN, about 90% of residential buildings in Mariupol were damaged or destroyed after the start of the war. Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin reported to Putin that it is planned to restore almost 2,000 objects in Mariupol. Judging by its presentation , it is about medical and cultural institutions, roads and other objects. The building of the Drama Theatre , for example, Khusnullin promised to restore by the end of next year. In March 2022, Russian aircraft attacked the theater, killing people hiding inside. The exact number of victims has not been established: estimates range from tens to hundreds of dead. Russia denies responsibility for the tragedy.
In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister reported on the demolition of several hundred destroyed residential buildings and spoke about the construction of new ones, and Putin examined the apartments in one of them. Earlier, the pro-Russian city administration reported that sites for mortgage housing are being prepared in Mariupol.
After Putin's visit, several local residents told Verstka that they could not register ownership of apartments in new buildings, as well as cases of eviction if people had other housing. “Almost the whole city was as dead as it is,” says Irina.
“Restoring and creating the appearance of eternal construction is a simple matter. The center is destroyed. In some places the windows were changed, again, mainly in order to capture a beautiful picture. Many people continue to live in basements, in tents, with children in destroyed houses. It's all hard to take, but what the TV shows … you don't need to believe it. There are people who go through garbage dumps and look for something to eat.
None of The Insider's interlocutors were able to move into new homes. A resident of the city, Tatyana (name changed), said that she had three children, with whom they lived in a four-room apartment before the war:
“Personally, we were not offered to move to new houses. They said to wait for the restoration of their apartment, there is no way to move into new “houses”.
Another resident of Mariupol said that the mortgage prompted his friend to come to the city with a residence permit in Donetsk:
“We stopped talking to him in 2014. And now he came with the words: “Well, finally. Even though here you can get a mortgage with a minimum percentage, even though the house will be your own.”
Damaged houses are not being restored, said Mariupol residents, with whom Important Stories spoke in December. A resident of a house on Morskoy Boulevard reported that there were 19 direct hits on his house, and no work has been done to restore it since March. Although, according to him, the administration promised to restore the house until mid-October. Windows were not installed in his house, and because of the broken roof, four floors are flooded. About 50 people live in this house and have nowhere to go. To warm up and wash, they go to friends for a couple of days.
In a house where about 50 people live, four floors are flooded due to a broken roof
What about compensation and documents
The Prime Minister of the "DPR" Vitaly Khotsenko stated that the residents of Mariupol would receive compensation for destroyed or damaged housing. According to him, more than 1 billion rubles have already been paid. Mariupol resident Nikolai (not his real name) told The Insider that he still hasn't received compensation and lives in a basement:
“They told me to apply for compensation. Three of my houses were smashed, I got nothing. The documents of Ukraine do not matter to them. They told me to re-register everything in the “DPR”, but in this way I will even lose the land, because they will take it away.”
The fact that those who refuse to cooperate is difficult, says another interviewee of The Insider:
“From my circle of friends and acquaintances, there is not a single person who has received at least some help. Everyone refuses to cooperate with them. They don’t like it, they don’t give life.”
In Mariupol, they want to speed up the process of issuing Russian passports, for this they will increase the number of MFCs, Denis Pushilin, the acting head of the DPR,said on the eve of Putin's visit. Locals confirm this in a conversation with The Insider:
“In Mariupol, they force me to change my passport to a Russian one. Especially those who support the policy of Ukraine and want to leave. They force me to change my passport, and then, they say, they will let me out.”
Mariupolets Sergey (not his real name) told The Insider that he is negative about the idea of changing a Ukrainian passport to a Russian one:
“I was forced to change. When he refused, they threatened a pre-trial detention center. There are those who are brought to Mariupol for a fee. There are those who have nowhere to go – they change because they go through garbage dumps and collect food.
According to volunteer Irina, there are very different living conditions in Mariupol for those who remained with a Ukrainian passport and for those who changed it to a Russian one. With a Ukrainian passport, she says, they will not be accepted in the hospital, it will not be possible to arrange payments, you cannot leave. “A lot of non-our people are brought in. Aliens. They make a picture of the return of people,” says Irina. The fact that without a new passport in the city it is impossible to get help, even to get to the doctor, is also said by a resident of the city Maxim (his name has been changed).
What's up with work
Judging by the announcements in social networks, there are many vacancies in Mariupol: handymen, builders, engineers, welders, sales managers, HR specialists are needed. On the website hh.ru, where Mariupol is on the list of Russian cities, the range of vacancies is even wider: there, in addition to the specialists listed, they are looking for doctors, system administrators, and senior managers for various enterprises.
At the same time, The Insider’s interlocutors say that there are practically no “adequate jobs” in the city. Maxim said that, theoretically, Mariupol residents can get a job clearing rubble (there are cases when people were blown up at these jobs) or construction, but there are no guarantees that in the end they will pay for the work: “Whoever brought money to someone who needs it can open his own business.” According to him, the salary is paid "as lucky":
“One of my comrades got a job, they paid him for two months, then they kicked him out. And he has three children. They said if he complained, he might not see his family.”
“Whoever brought money to whomever needs it can open his own business”
Irina also says that employers deceive many Mariupol residents: “Allegedly, “you work, we will pay you,” but then they just throw you out.”
Mariupolets Ivan (name changed) told The Insider that the construction of new facilities in the city is now mainly carried out by people who were brought by the Russians:
“Our hard workers asked to work on construction sites, as a result, they were then thrown away with a salary. They brought Uzbeks , Tajiks, they are building. The survivors give them apartments, and they settle in new ones. ”
What about the prices and the situation on the streets
Prices in Mariupol are very high, The Insider's interlocutors say. “Everything is very expensive. Sometimes you have to climb through the garbage dumps to find a drop of food. I have a Ukrainian passport, I'm too old to change my shoes. I fell ill with pneumonia, and they put me out of the hospital, ”said Alexander (name changed).
Everything is very expensive. Sometimes you have to climb through the garbage dumps to find a drop of food.
Explosions and fires periodically occur in the city, but The Insider's interlocutors found it difficult to clarify what exactly explodes: “First at the factory, then in the city. Who knows where it comes from. Either the shells explode, or these demons want to have fun. On the morning of March 27, the car of the head of the city police department, Mikhail Moskvin, exploded . He survived, but received a concussion.
Fires and explosions are not the only danger. On the streets, a person can be stopped by the military, “if you didn’t make a face” – they can ask about different things, sometimes threaten, Maxim says. According to him, public transport in Mariupol travels "jammed". It is possible to leave Mariupol, the interlocutors of The Insider say, however, specifying that they themselves did not try to leave. Residents say that now almost all visitors are in the city: “This is not the same Mariupol. There are many Chechens and Asians here.”
What about people and volunteers
“We want to go home. This is not our city. They are trying to make it in the style of the USSR. These wagons were brought in with food, like in old films,” says Oksana (not her real name), a resident of the city. – People bring all sorts of evil. Not ours. I'm very sad. I live like hell. I cry every day." The return to Soviet times is also hinted at by the fact that the central street of Mariupol, Mira Avenue, was renamed Lenin Avenue (as it was called until 2014).
Irina says that it is still impossible to bring humanitarian aid from Ukraine to the city:
“The prices on the other side <occupied by Russia — The Insider> are cosmic. Each race costs more than $1300. Traveling is very dangerous these days. Especially if you do not adhere to the policy <of the Russian authorities. — The Insider>. We are being watched. Our volunteer was killed. And we don't know what will happen to us. Raising money for races has become more difficult. Everyone is tired. Plus reports in the form of checks do not give. It is dangerous to take out photos of people <to whom the products were brought – The Insider>, they may come for them later. In general, we export everything that we can. We bring everything we can."
According to Irina, the vital medicines that they were carrying for the child were recently taken away from the volunteers. Medicines were ordered from Europe and transferred to Mariupol "by hook or by crook." “The city looks like every Mariupol citizen who has left his home – broken. People are trying to do something for themselves, for children… but this is just a mask,” says Irina.
According to the Ukrainian Bureau of Statistics, as of January 1 last year, more than 425,000 people lived in Mariupol. In the summer of 2022, the UN estimated that 350,000 people were forced to leave the city. AP estimated in December that more than 10,000 new graves appeared in Mariupol during the occupation. In March 2023, the mayor of the city, Vadim Boychenko, estimated the number of residents remaining in Mariupol at about 120,000, while the pro-Russian "mayor" Oleg Morgun stated that 230,000 people live in the city. According to the Russian master plan, the population of Mariupol will recover by 2030, wrote AP. According to Vadim Boychenko, the restoration of Mariupol will take at least 7-10 years and $14 billion.