From the BBC:
“Ukraine war: Life in Mariupol under Russian occupation”
(A woman and a dog walk in the rubble of Mariupol)
Finding people willing to speak to me from Mariupol was never
going to be easy. After 10 months of Russian occupation, fear and distrust are
the two most frequent responses I encountered when looking for someone who
could tell me how things really are in Mariupol, in Ukraine's south-east. "I
think you are a Russian journalist. You won't like what I've got to say. People
like you kill if you tell them the truth," said one social media user who
claimed to be from the port city. Russian forces put the people of Mariupol
through a horrific months-long siege, before finally capturing it last May.
I eventually found three residents willing to speak to me at
length: a local city councillor, a retired pensioner and an engineer. All spoke
on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals from the local authorities
installed by Russia (who block access to occupied Ukraine by Western journalists).
They paint a picture of a massively expensive campaign conducted by Russia to
win over the hearts and minds of the people of Mariupol, and rebuild a city
damaged beyond recognition by Russia's own troops. The purpose of this campaign
is to assimilate Mariupol and make it Russia's own.
Their accounts corroborate each other, and are confirmed by
social media posts about recent developments in Mariupol. Before this war began
about half a million people lived in the city. According to UN estimates, 90%
of residential buildings were damaged or destroyed, and 350,000 people were
forced to leave after Russia attacked in February 2022. It is difficult to
estimate the exact number of people killed as a result of the relentless
shelling of Mariupol, but Ukrainian authorities say more than 20,000 died
there. Russian-installed authorities in Mariupol say some 300,000 people are
now living there. The people who spoke to me from Mariupol said their city had
been inundated with labourers from across Russia, as well as from Central Asia.
Oleg Morgun, the Russia-installed "mayor" of Mariupol, says some
70,000 of those currently in the city are construction workers and members of
the Russian military.
Rebuilding
(New apartment buildings in Mariupol)
New buildings have appeared and many buildings damaged during
the bombardment have gone. For example, the Russian military has built a whole
new district comprised of a dozen apartment blocks in the western part of
Mariupol. It is called Nevsky, after the River Neva, on which President
Vladimir Putin's home city of St Petersburg stands. According to Russian state
media, St Petersburg is the main sponsor of the reconstruction of Mariupol. "It
says on the bus: St Petersburg and Mariupol are twinned cities. There are
slogans everywhere telling us that we're part of Russia now," pensioner
Maria (not her real name) told me. "I liked things the way they used to
be. Now we live in fear. We have no idea what to expect." In the houses
that escaped relatively unscathed after months of fierce fighting, the Russians
are replacing windows, radiators and sometimes heating and sewage pipes.
Heating, running water and electricity supplies have largely
been restored. Buses are running and full of passengers again, although the
electric trolley bus and tram networks are still out of action. Many schools,
hospitals and shops have reopened as well, although numerous traders are
selling their wares straight from the pavement. Maria was particularly
impressed with one school rebuilt under Russian rule: "It's so beautiful,
covered in multi-coloured squares." According to her, the number of
children in Mariupol now is greater than schools can currently accommodate, so
they have classes in two shifts: one in the morning, and another in the
afternoon. Russia has imposed its own Russian-language curriculum in occupied
areas - complicating efforts to get children back to school.
(A woman looks at pig meat laid out at a market stall in
occupied Mariupol)
The fast-paced rebuilding of Mariupol has provoked envy in
Donetsk, the regional capital occupied by pro-Russian forces since 2014, which
has been neglected by comparison. The Russia-installed head of the so-called
Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, has even had to deny rumours that
the capital will be moved to Mariupol.
Assimilation
(Coffins are placed into a long trench outside Mariupol in
February 2023)
There are other important ways in which Russia is putting its
stamp on Mariupol. For example, local residents are under pressure to obtain
Russian passports. Ivan, the Mariupol city councillor I spoke to (not his real
name), said locals often formed "huge queues" trying to get Russian
passports. They were required if you want to find formal employment, especially
with government agencies or in the public sector, he explained. Also, they made
it possible to travel to Russia without additional stringent checks known as
"filtration", he added. "So they have deliberately created a
situation where you get problems if you have Ukrainian papers, you have to deal
with red tape, you have to wait. On the other hand, if you get a Russian passport,
that's where your problems end: 'You're one of us now'. Things get simpler if
you receive a Russian passport," Ivan said.
Mariupol is also becoming part of Russia's financial system.
The Ukrainian currency, the hryvnya, has been phased out, and now the Russian
rouble is the only currency accepted in shops. Russia is channelling huge
amounts of money into pension payments for residents of Mariupol, raising them
in many cases compared with what they received from the Ukrainian authorities
before the war. So residents of Mariupol are able to draw two pensions - one
from Russia, another from Ukraine. Naturally, it is a situation many local
pensioners are happy with. Russian pensions are another reason why elderly
residents are queuing up to get Russian passports - many pensioners believe the
documents will be required in the future to continue receiving payments from
Russia. The media currently operating in Mariupol are also hard at work
promoting a uniformly pro-Russian agenda.
Pro-Russian sentiment
(A sign for Mariupol in the colours of the Russian flag)
Many current residents of Mariupol are there because they
were unable to leave the city when the Russians attacked, due to illness or old
age, or because they welcome Russia's presence. "We've suffered enough
under Ukraine. Now we can breathe again," one social media user told me,
before breaking off all contact.
The fast-paced campaign of reconstruction and the resulting
sense of restored normality, the generous pension payments and the intensive
media campaign targeting the people of Mariupol, all stimulate the spread of
pro-Russian sentiment in the city. "I'm sick of all the propaganda in the
papers. They started publishing it from day one, telling us how well things are
going," said Yuri, the engineer (not his real name). "I feel out of
place in my own city now. People are different, my city feels different
now."
City councillor Ivan said: "It's become difficult for me
to say pro-Ukrainian things to my voters. It's tough being pro-Ukrainian in a
pro-Russian environment. Unfortunately, Ukraine is losing the hearts and minds
of people in Mariupol." Those who are still in Mariupol may be happy to
see a degree of normality return to their city, but there are those who suspect
Russia of pursuing ulterior motives. Popular Ukrainian journalist Denys
Kazansky argues that Russia uses the new houses it has been building in
Mariupol to distract attention from all the destruction it caused in the city
and elsewhere in his native Donetsk region. "If they destroyed 10
hospitals and then rebuilt one - this isn't reconstruction. It's not something
they can be thanked for," he said. "You can be happy as much as you
like about a school being rebuilt, but what do you do with the thousands of
people Russia has killed?" he said. "You can't rebuild them. You
can't bring them back."
^ This is about life in Russian-Occupied Mariupol after 10
months of Occupation and at least 20,000 died.
Before the Russians Mariupol was a thriving City on the Sea
ff Azov, but after the 3 month Russian Siege of the City targeting Civilians
and its capture on May 20, 2022 the Russians have done everything to cover-up
their crimes in the City including destroying buildings and putting pre-fab new
ones on top of them to hide their Mass Graves. ^
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