As fighting continues in Mariupol, Russians want to turn the city into a seaside resort

About 1,000 Ukrainian fighters are entrenched in a labyrinth of Soviet-era tunnels beneath one of Mariupol’s main steelworks.

“There are about 600 casualties in Azovtal and the Russians are still bombing the military hospital,” said Sviatoslav Palamar, one of the commanders on the scene, and urged the United States to “help evacuate the wounded.”

Pillars of black smoke from the Azovtal factory partially cover the sky of the city, with 90% of its land being destroyed. There are no more jobs in Mariupol, and daily life for residents consists of arranging long queues to fill gallons of water in two plastic cisterns set up in front of the central hospital.

Even so, the pro-Russian authorities already have plans for the future, mainly in economic terms. Some are already talking about the “rebirth” of Mariupol, which will cease to be an industrial city and become a seaside resort.

Mills are directly responsible for 40% of the work

However, residents are worried, as steel mills are responsible for 40% of the city’s direct jobs. Making a living from tourism means being dependent on money coming from abroad, especially from Russia. “This means less work. What will the metallurgists do? I don’t think it’s a good idea,” complains one driver. RFI.

In addition to the bombed Azovstal, the city lives in pieces thanks to three other big steel companies: Azovmash, Aglofabrica and Ilyich. “Everyone here works at these facilities,” another resident revolts. He despairs, “What will we do if the city becomes a seaside resort? Where will we work?” “Obviously, I think we need to rebuild everything. It’s the only solution. We are the ones living here,” he explains.

Even though some Ukrainians are aware of the limits of this change in the economic model, they try to see the positive side of the project. “It can be a good thing for me personally. A beach resort is a positive thing. The air will be less polluted, we will breathe better, and the sea will be cleaner”, before changing his mind, a resident thinks: “But Truth be told, I don’t know.. A beach resort is fine, but it’s temporary, only for the summer. And what are we going to do in the winter?”