Russia Completes Building First Houses For Displaced Civilians In Mariupol

MARIUPOL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st August, 2022) Specialists of the military-construction complex of the Russian Defense Ministry completed the construction of the first houses for Mariupol residents, who have lost their homes in the hostilities, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Tuesday.

The first two five-storey residential buildings were built in record short time as construction work began in early July, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The residential district is completely autonomous; the houses have an independent boiler room, water supply, and electricity sources. There are parking lots, children playgrounds with slides, swings and sports equipment.

According to the first stage of the reconstruction plan, 12 similar houses with more than 1,200 apartments will be built by the end of 2022. The second stage is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2023. Builders work around the clock in three shifts of eight hours. A cement plant has been built in close proximity of the construction site, providing necessary materials in a short period of time.

The restoration of residential properties in Mariupol continues. Experts have already assessed the damage to infrastructure: the houses will be repaired, and those that are recognized as being in the state of disrepair will be demolished, with new houses built in their place.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said in early August that all historic buildings in Mariupol's city center will be restored and the infamous Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol is likely to be transformed into a technopark, providing jobs for the citizens.

Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, after the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian aggression. On May 20, 2022 the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the city of Mariupol had been fully liberated after clearing the territory of the Azovstal plant, where a group of Ukrainian militants from the nationalist Azov battalion was blocked since April 21.