They’re adorned in bright colors, from mauve to green to orange…and most of all they’re dazzlingly white and new in the darkness of a war-ravaged city. In Mariupol, the Russian occupier has been building new buildings at a sustained pace for several months. Some even welcome their first inhabitants, just a few weeks following the start of work. So many flash constructions that poorly hide the desolation and the ruins left by the fighting in the first half of 2022.
First there is this complex of regarding 260 hectares to the east of the city. Large white buildings organized in a square installed opposite those destroyed in the bombardments. All enhanced by green lawns and brand new playgrounds. It is the most imposing Russian showcase in Mariupol. And Moscow intends to let it be known, with the help of drone footage. Evidenced by a series of videos published on the YouTube channel of the Engineers of the Russian army.
In a video posted Dec. 19, we see an elderly lady with a Russian flag on her shoulders receiving her keys. In the caption of the clip, this quote: “You know, I didn’t cry the whole war. When they showed me our completely burned house, I didn’t cry, I said: let those who did it cry. But when they called me and said, come and get a warrant, that’s when I burst into tears“.
