The Russian occupation authorities have announced plans to destroy the Azovstal steel plant and turn Mariupol into a resort city, depriving Russia of some of the most important economic benefits it hoped to gain by capturing the city. This is reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
According to Pushilin, the "DPR" intends to rebuild Mariupol into a "resort city," but he admitted that 60% of the buildings in Mariupol had been destroyed to such an extent that they cannot be rebuilt.
The announced plan to turn Mariupol into a center of tourism and recreation after the complete destruction of a large center of economic activity in Mariupol testifies to the losses that Russian troops inflicted on themselves by destroying Mariupol. Russia does not need another resort city on the Black Sea. The invaders need hard currency that was produced by Azovstal. This announcement epitomizes the Pyrrhic victories gained by the Russian forces in Ukraine, to the extent they gained victories at all.
Azovstal was the mainstay of Mariupol's economy before the war due to its unique function as a full-cycle steel complex, 10,000 jobs, and billions of dollars of foreign exchange earnings and tax revenues it generated. The plant produced 7,000 tons of steel, 6 million tons of cast iron, and 4.5 million tons of rolled products, according to the Mariupol City Council.
Read also
Public consultations and restoration. What is Shulyak talking about behind the scenes
Ukraine's Recovery: How to Change Critically Low Citizen Engagement Indicators?
The future has already arrived: blockchain technologies in the global economy and everyday life
