Mariupol lost his old life. Reportage from life under Russian occupation
Now there is a different reality in the city. The Russian « administration » announces reconstruction, introduces its own rules, opens schools and shops. However, behind the facade of « peaceful life » lies everyday life under occupation.
What is the life of the inhabitants of Mariupol in 2025? For many people, getting a Russian passport has become a matter of survival, thousands of city residents lost not only their homes as a result of fighting, but also as part of ownership right to survivors, and the authorities can officially confiscate private property. Many residents complain about corruption, drug deficiency and limited services, especially if they do not have a Russian passport.
The issuing of Russian passports to the inhabitants of the occupied Mariupol began at the end of May 2022, after the end of active hostilities and the total capture of the city by Putin’s army.
According to the adviser, Merra Mariupol Petro Andriuszenko, from May 25, 2022, the inhabitants of Mariupol were proposed to obtain Russian citizenship without having to obtain the « DRL » self -proclaimed passports. However, at this time in Mariupol itself passports have not yet begun. To obtain documents, residents had to contact neighboring towns.
Until May 31, 2022, the process of publishing Russian passports for the inhabitants of Mariupol entered the active phase. Residents had to first obtain a check -in certificate in Donetsk, and then submit passport documents in Nowazowsko, in the so -called « DRL » migration service.
Russian issued about 3.5 million passports to the inhabitants of eastern Ukraine
At the beginning of 2025, Vladimir Putin announced almost the complete completion of the passports of the population in the occupied territories of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporian Ukraine. According to Human Rights Watch, until March, the Russian authorities issued about 3.5 million passports to residents of occupied territories in eastern Ukraine.
For many people, getting a Russian passport has become a matter of survival, because without it access to medical care, social benefits and other basic services is limited.
On March 20, Putin signed a decree requiring Ukrainian citizens living in the occupied territories of the Zaporoscios, Kherson, Donetsk and Lugansk Districts to obtain Russian passports or leave these territories until September 10. Otherwise, they will be considered « foreign citizens » and will be subject to restrictions, including the maximum stay of 90 days, compulsory medical examinations and restrictions in the field of professional activity.
Mariupol under the Russians. Authorities can officially confiscate private property
After the capture of Mariupol by the Russian army, thousands of city residents lost not only their homes as a result of fights, but also as part of the right to ownership to survivors.
From the spring of 2024, mass recognition of real estate as « shameless » has become systemic. In March this year, the so -called « DRL » adopted Act No. 66-RZ, according to which Local authorities can officially confiscate private property if they cannot confirm that it is the property of the Russians. In May, there were about 6.5 thousand on the list of such real estate. apartments and houses. According to the premiere of « DRL » Jewgenija Sołncewa, The total number of abandoned objects in Mariupol is estimated at 20-30 thousand.
Real estate belongs to the « non -owner » category if:
- Media bills have not been paid for over a year;
- There is no registration in a Russian Russian;
- no documents confirming ownership in accordance with Russian legislation;
- The apartment poses a threat to others.
However, even the houses in which residents and active accounts are registered, reach such letters. The owners who left the city cannot arrive in person, which is now obligatory. Delegating rights via a representative is no longer accepted.
To stop the apartment, you must personally appear in the administration and show a Russian passport and originals of documents. People who do not do this within 30 days of placing on the list, lose their apartment – it becomes the property of the commune and can be sold, rented or assigned to other residents.
New residents, often from Russia, move into such apartments at the administration order. The city authorities publicly stated that the abandoned property can be used to resettle the needy.
From 2025, apartments without owner have become an official alternative to new buildings. In the face of delays in the reconstruction of destroyed houses and the lack of new buildings, the inhabitants of Mariupol began to massively offer flats from expropriated housing resources. At the same time, compensation for lost real estate remains minimal – 45 thousand. rubles per square meter, while the cost of apartments in new buildings reaches 146 thousand.
Residents, whose houses have been demolished, often do not receive apartments in the same regions. Instead, they are offered apartments on the outskirts or « without an owner ». Central areas are intended for commercial development, as in the case of the Leningrad district, which was built on the site of private houses. The apartments located there are put up for sale at a market price and are not available to previous owners.
Mariupol in the hands of the Russians. Healthcare in a deplorable condition
After destroying 82 of 106 medical facilities in Mariupol in 2022. The city was effectively deprived of critical medical infrastructure – including children’s, obstetrics and outpatient clinics. One of the most famous examples was the Russian air attack on the Hospital No. 3 in Mariupol. The hospital was destroyed.
After the occupation, the Russian authorities began reconstruction and construction of medical facilities in Mariupol. Among them is the Multidisciplinary Medical Center of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA). The main burden rests here in St. Petersburg, which in 2022 the Russian authorities recognized the « partner city » of the acquired Ukrainian city.
« We work to restore the city and restore peaceful life in Donbas. Today two clinics have been opened. Work on the construction of two hospital buildings – surgical and oncological – are close to completing, » said Governor of St. Petersburg Aleksandr Beglov.
At the same time, until May this year, a single children of children’s medicine was opened in Mariupol. The former children’s hospital No. 3 still remains in ruins. According to Astra publications, local « authorities » have not yet started renovating a children’s hospital and have no such plans.
The severe deficiency of staff and equipment could not be avoided. Access to healthcare is becoming more and more difficult: Many residents complain about corruption, drug deficiency and limited services, especially if they do not have a Russian passport. Doctors admit that assistance is mainly provided in the form of humanitarian supplies, not system support.
After three years of Russian occupation, Mariupol is still struggling with a decrease in the purchasing power of the local population. According to local media reports, in 2024 prices rapidly rose: chicken eggs cost 115-120 rubles for a dozen, which is an increase of 60-80 percent, and peas risen from 37 to 62 rubles. Sausage and serious quality cheese cost from 600 to 1000 rubles per kilo, and milk from 100 to 140 rubles for 800 ml.
Prices of non -food products are also high. Residents note that the cost of food, clothing and other goods is based on a salary of at least 30,000 rubles, but not everyone earns so much. In the services sector, salaries can be 15-20 thousand rubles. According to official data of the occupation authorities, the average salary in Mariupol is about 59 125 rubles. At the same time, a high level of unemployment among residents is maintained in the city.
Mariupol under the Russians. New dimension of education
After the occupation of Mariupol, the Russian authorities completely rebuilt the education system, adapting it to Russian standards. Learning takes place according to Russian programs; Ukrainian language and history are excluded from the educational process. Instead, schools actively introduce patriotic education and classes aimed at developing Russian identity in children. According to the city council, the number of schools in Mariupol has decreased three times – currently there are 22, including 2 schools offering distance education. The number of students decreased from pre -war 40,000 to less than 15,000, of which about 3,600 were immigrants from Russia.
The Russian authorities run anti -Ukrainian propaganda, militarize schools, use textbooks justifying the invasion and harass teachers who refuse cooperation, informs Human Rights Watch. Parents whose children continue their remote education within the Ukrainian system threaten to deprive parental rights.
There are no teachers, especially specialist subjects: history, mathematics, English. A branch of the Navy school was opened in the city Nachimowa, in which about 240 teenagers are already studying, and the planned number of cadets is to increase to 500. In addition, the State University in Mariupol still operates – according to Russian media, about 4,500 students are studying there, including Moscow, St. Petersburg and the regions of the Russian Federation.
In 2025, Russia completed the construction of a railway line connecting Rostów over Don, Mariupol and Donetsk. This line is used to transport military equipment and loads. In addition, a beltway around the Azov Sea is being built, connecting Crimea, Mariupol and other occupied regions. Thanks to this, Russia can integrate the occupied territories with its transport system and strengthen logistics connections.
In Mariupol itself, public transport has been partially restored: buses and microbuses run. The tram was destroyed in 2022, but by 2023 it was partially restored by St. Petersburg builders. Many bus routes have been changed or closed due to damage and deficiency of drivers. In addition, according to the « yellow strich » resistance, public transport is regularly withdrawn from use for military purposes, which worsens the situation.
The article was based on the translation of the text from Novaya Gazeta Europe.
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