The State of Mariupol's Reconstruction and Life in Occupied Territories
Official claims from the occupying administration about rebuilding Mariupol's housing stock are false. According to the National Resistance Center, in February 2025, the occupation authorities in Mariupol reported the completion or final stage of work on 170 apartment buildings. However, the majority of buildings listed as reconstructed on paper are not actually in use. This situation is part of a broader pattern of misinformation from Russian authorities regarding the territories they control in Ukraine.
Residents who applied for housing in 2022-2023 are now receiving mass rejections. The occupation authorities claim that the citizens' applications were lost or never registered, causing widespread discontent. The situation is further exacerbated by a collapse of utility services in other occupied territories, specifically in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions. There is no stable heating or electricity, and a severe shortage of drinking water exists.
Widespread Issues Across Occupied Areas
In cities like Alchevsk and Donetsk, people are forced to wait for water trucks or warm themselves in designated heating points due to destroyed infrastructure networks. Separately, the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense has published data on organizations and individuals involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children. It is known that through the Russian project 'Cultural Map', over 85,000 teenagers from temporarily occupied territories have been taken to the Russian Federation. The forced transfer of children is considered a war crime under international law.
Consequently, the realities of life in the occupied territories point to severe problems with infrastructure restoration and the protection of citizens' rights, demanding the attention of the international community. The current situation underscores the critical need to monitor humanitarian conditions and ensure human rights in these areas, as rebuilding and normalizing life there are crucial for the future of the region.