We’ll turn Mariupol into a holiday resort
Amid Victory Day parade at scene of so much horror, pro-Kremlin forces claim they’re set to rebuild city
‘Russia is here forever and you are home’
THE head of Russian-backed rebels in Ukraine has promised to transform the all-but-destroyed city of Mariupol into a ‘resort’.
Denis Pushilin, the leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic, made the far-fetched promise despite Ukrainian soldiers still holding out underneath the Azovstal steel plant.
‘Russia is here forever and you are finally home. Now this is the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic for ever. No one will take it away from us,’ he said on a visit to mark Victory Day.
A giant black and orange ribbon – a symbol used for the country’s celebrations to mark the end of the Second World War – was carried through the city by troops.
‘We have strength, we have opportunities, we have the support of the biggest, beautiful country,’ Pushilin said, according to Russian news agency TASS.
Apparently in reference to the city’s wrecked infrastructure and industry, he said the settlement could in the future be turned into a ‘resort’ to help bring jobs and prosperity back.
‘Now the main task is to liberate all of our lands, to start rebuilding cities,’ he added.
At the same time, Kyiv called on the UN Human Rights Council to review the ‘continuously deteriorating’ situation across Ukraine, including in Mariupol. Ukraine said Russian forces were conducting ‘storming operations’ on the Azovstal plant. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has already declared victory over the city, but control of the steel plant would be a symbolic achievement.
Putin publicly told the military not to storm it to avoid loss of Russian lives, but those orders have either been ignored or privately rescinded, with raids ongoing in the steel mill’s network of underground tunnels where Ukrainian fighters are holding out.
Viktoria Andreyeva, a 46-yearold teacher, said: ‘There are lots of people still in Mariupol who want to leave but can’t.’
Meanwhile, Russian missile strikes blasted the vital Black Sea port of Odesa yesterday, destroying a luxury beachfront hotel. Three cruise missiles fired from warships hit the city during a surprise visit by European Council president Charles Michel, who had to stop talks with Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal and rush to a bomb shelter.
No staff or guests were in the now-destroyed Grand Pettine Hotel at the time and no casualties were reported. It was the third day in a row on which air strikes have hit the coastal city.