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
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 thuggish leader of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, made the far-fetched promise despite Ukrainian soldiers still holding out underneath the Azovstal steel plant.
‘Russia is here for ever 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
‘Russia is here for ever and you are home’
World War – was carried through the city by troops.
‘We have strength, we have opportunities, we have the support of the biggest, beautiful country,’ he 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 president 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told the military not to storm it to avoid loss of Russian lives but those orders have either been ignored or privately rescinded, with raids ongoing in the steel mill’s network of underground tunnels where Ukrainian fighters are holding out.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-year-old history teacher, said: ‘There’s 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 Ukraine’s prime minister Denys Shmyhal and rush to a bomb shelter.
No staff or guests were staying at the now destroyed Grand Pettine Hotel at the time and no casualties were reported. It was the third day in a row air strikes have hit the coastal city.