Mariupol Reborn it’s the name of an ambitious project promoted by the Ukrainian government and sponsored by the international community to rebuild the port city of Mariupol once it is recovered from Russian hands.
Besieged by Kremlin troops at the start of the invasion, this town in southern Ukraine was bombarded day and night for more than 80 days. In the local steelworks, that of Azovstal, one of the most important in the country, more than 1,000 soldiers -wounded, exhausted and without provisions- they resisted entrenched in the tunnels of the plant until its surrender in May. After the ceasefire, only rubble remained.
It is estimated that, during the Russian attack in which nearly 22,000 civilians were killed, more than 90% of critical infrastructures of the city (power plants, transportation, water systems…) and the 50% of residential buildings they were totally destroyed. Some damages valued at more than 14,500 million dollarsaccording to the data handled by the Ukrainian government.
A man walks past a collapsed building in Mariupol.
now while the few remaining residents learn to live under the Russian yoke, the Ukrainian mayor of Mariupol, Vadym Boychenkohas built from exile a revitalization project that is presented as the largest in Europe since the Second World War.
“The plan is clear: to turn Mariupol from being a symbol of war and destruction to being an example of revitalization for everyone. After the vacancy, Mariupol will be reborn,” Boychenko explained Thursday during the presentation of the initiative held in kyiv.
[Las mujeres de Mariúpol reciben hoy el León de El Español: “Lo que vivimos allí fue un genocidio”]
One of the main challenges posed Mariupol Reborn is to convert the city, not only into a symbol of victory, but into an example of modernization. To do this, the project will be developed in five phases, as explained by sources close to EL ESPAÑOL.
First, a model of the new city will be designed and then a “damage assessment” and “strategies will be created for the rapid recovery of critical infrastructures.” Once the theory is defined, “will formulate and implement” the revitalization plan, according to the organization. In addition, in each of the phases, residents will be able to contribute ideas and assessments through the resettlement support centers “I am Mariupol”.
The United States Agency for International Developmentthe world Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will participate in the project
Although the required initial budget is still unknown, the Government of Ukraine, the holding company Ukrainian financial and industrial SCM, owner of the Azovstal plant, and the Metinvest group of steel and mining companies have confirmed that they will support and promote the project. And they will not be alone: the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the world Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will also participate.
“Inevitable Victory”
In recent months, Ukrainian troops have proven capable of pushing back the Russian army by leaps and bounds. However, Mariupol – like much of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions – is still in the hands of the occupiers. Nonetheless, the promoters of the initiative are optimistic.
“We believe that victory is inevitable. Our flag will fly in Mariupol again and with it civilization, freedom and the right to a better future,” said Natalya Yemchenko, dircom of SCM, at the presentation event. In this sense, the representative of the company led by Rinat Akhmetov, the richest man in Ukraine, indicated that the time to design the plan “is now“.
[Natalia Yemchenko, dircom de SCM: “Haremos que Rusia pague millones por los daños provocados”]
For his part, Timothy Madigan, leader of the USAID project to help Ukraine financially, recalled that the majority of the people who left want to returnso “it is important to have a visual concept of what the city will be like after liberation and reconstruction.”
Mariupol is one of the cities most devastated by the Russian invasion, but it is not the only one. So the goal is that Mariupol Reborn serve as a roadmap for other war-affected areas may rise from the ashes.
