Mariupol. Snow in houses, problems with electricity, water and looting. Russia relocated 50,000 immigrants

Russia has relocated nearly 50 000 individuals to the occupied city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine. The immigrants include Russians and individuals from Central Asian countries, according to the Center for National Opposition, which reports to the Special Operations Forces of the Ukrainian Army.

As per the Ukrainska Pravda portal, it is estimated that only half of Mariupol's pre-invasion population remains today. The Center for National Opposition suggests that the influx of economic immigrants from impoverished regions of Russia and Central Asian countries is intended to expedite the assimilation of the Ukrainian population in the city.

An unnamed representative from the Opposition Center stated that individuals from the criminal underworld are intentionally being brought to the occupied territories to establish "new spheres of influence." These newcomers are already forming new criminal groups, divided along national lines.

In addition to immigrants from Russia and Central Asia, an increase in economic immigrants from Belarus is observed in Mariupol and the occupied part of the Kherson Oblast in southern Ukraine.

Before the Russian invasion, Mariupol was the third-largest city in eastern Ukraine, with an estimated population of almost 432,000 people in 2021. The Russian occupation authorities claimed a population of 300,000 in 2023, including 70,000 Russian soldiers and workers engaged in reconstructing a city severely damaged by the Russian army.

Mariupol has a rich, multinational history. In 2021, the population comprised 48% Ukrainians, 44% Russians, and 4% Greeks (some sources suggest a Greek minority of 20,000 people). For centuries, Mariupol served as the primary center for the Greek community in southern Ukraine, whose ancestors migrated to the Sea of Azov from Crimea in the 18th century, following the existence of Greek colonies since the 6th century BC.

Snow in houses, problems with electricity and water, looting: what is life like in occupied Mariupol now?

For the second year in a row, residents of Mariupol are forced to endure winter in cold apartments. Tenants do not have the opportunity to install normal heating, and some boiler rooms stop working after commissioning due to the need for renovation. However, payments still come.

The pseudo-president of the occupied city, Oleg Morgun, admits that due to bad weather, 11 transformer substations are not functioning, which led to a lack of power supply in the Left Bank region, and also notes the lack of coolant supply to 39 apartment buildings.

However, the municipal authorities of the Ukrainian Mariupol state that, according to reports from local residents, the actual numbers may be much higher. At the beginning of the heating season, city residents report a lack of heat and electricity almost every day.

This is not the first instance where the self-proclaimed occupiers have botched winter preparations and neglected the city's critical infrastructure, as evidenced by the ongoing issue of sewage flooding basements. The inefficiency of the downpipe system and the lack of regular cleaning of stormwater systems have resulted in the formation of veritable "lakes" on the streets.

In addition to the disaster affecting the city's critical infrastructure, home robberies continue unabated. Residents report incidents where thieves have not only taken out equipment but also tampered with toilets and boilers, dismantled furniture, and gone as far as considering demolishing walls and tearing out wires. They have even resorted to throwing books out of closets. Constantly changing locks has become the norm for local residents.

Adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, Pyotr Andryushchenko, has consistently documented cases of looting on his Telegram page. Some instances have reached absurd levels, such as when a Russian company, lacking its own supplies, plundered a warehouse containing special clothing marked with the inscription "Rescuer". Another case involved Martrans, a company purportedly managing public transport during the occupation, stealing a tram car under the guise of renovation work.

As noted by Pyotr Andryushchenko, the Russian occupiers have been plundering Mariupol for over a year and a half, showing no intention of stopping.