Russians Want To Turn The Bombed Mariupol Into A Holiday Resort. 60% Of The Buildings Can No Longer Be Repaired

Russia has admitted that the destruction caused by the three-month bombing of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in the south of the country is so extensive that up to 60 percent of all buildings may not be repairable. The Russian bombing damaged these buildings so badly that there is nothing left to do, but demolish them and rebuild them.

After the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin expected that if the Russian army managed to occupy Mariupol, Moscow would get its hands on the Azovstal steel factory, which is one of the largest steel producers in Europe. Now, according to the military assessment of the Slovak Armed Forces, the Russians have changed tactics and Azovstal will be destroyed.

Russian occupation authorities today announced plans to destroy the Azovstal Steel Plant and turn Mariupol into a "resort city," depriving Russia of some of the most important economic benefits it hoped to reap by taking the city in the first place.

— ISW (@TheStudyofWar) May 19, 2022

"Russian occupation authorities have announced plans to destroy the Azovstal steel factory and turn Mariupol into ruins, depriving Russia of some of the most important economic benefits that Russia hoped to gain by taking over the city," the Slovak military said in a regular assessment report of the war.

"The People's Republic of Donetsk (DNR) intends to rebuild Mariupol into a 'resort', admitting that 60% of the buildings in Mariupol have been destroyed to such an extent that they cannot be restored," the army said. According to the armed forces, Moscow can now hope that the loss of planned revenues from Azovstel will be covered by the occupied Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, but the sale of nuclear energy is not as lucrative as the huge metallurgical complex.

According to the occupation authorities, the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant will operate exclusively for the Russian Federation, which will then be willing to sell energy back to Ukraine.

The research institute - the Institute for the Study of War - stated that "Russia does not need another resort on the Black Sea coast, but companies like Azovstal that generate hard currency." According to the institute, Azovstal secured more than 10,000 job positions for the inhabitants of Mariupol before the war, generated billions in turnover and made a significant contribution to taxes for the state.