The mayor of Mariupol has signed an agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to rebuild the devastated city once the Russians leave.
“The Russians will never leave the city voluntarily. But the Ukrainian army, he adds, will drive them out,” says the mayor of Mariupol, Vadim Boychenko, in an interview with the BBC.
“In two months, Russian troops caused more damage to Mariupol than German troops did in two years of occupation during World War II,” the mayor pointed out, adding that “in fact, 90% of all the city’s infrastructure has damages of varying severity. Eleven out of 15 hospitals have been destroyed, 39 out of 63 schools have also been destroyed and 25 out of 79 kindergartens have been completely destroyed.”
At the same time, the mayor of Mariupol emphasized: “We are not conducting any dialogue with the terrorists who destroyed our city and killed tens of thousands of residents of Mariupol. The Russian invaders are a terrible but temporary phenomenon,” he said.
The Russians are now entrenched in Mariupol and are unlikely to leave it easily. However, Vadim Boychenko says he is enjoying the recent liberation of Kherson.
“We expect further progress in the southern part of the country. The military has already said that the Russians will be kicked out of our land around next spring. I believe in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, I believe in my son, who is serving and defending our country today.”
Asked by the BBC reporter if Mariupol could one day become a big city again, his answer was “yes, definitely”.
“There are already examples in world history when cities were reborn from the ashes of war. For example, Warsaw, Gdansk, Rotterdam, Dresden.
He was in Poland where he signed an agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to rebuild the devastated city once the Russians leave.
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