«People are returning from both Ukraine and Europe»
More than a year has passed since the liberation of Mariupol. I remember my first impressions of that time: dilapidated houses with protruding reinforcement ribs and broken windows, mangled, burned-out cars, spontaneous markets right next to the roadway, where water and cigarettes were the main selling goods. And the eyes of people – frightened, empty of anguish. And here I am again in this city – and I don't recognize him.
Restoration work is in full swing in the city center, the facades of many buildings have been restored to their former appearance, and brand new modern residential complexes flaunt on the outskirts. From the abundance of cars and construction equipment, traffic jams are already forming on the roads.
Mommies with strollers decorously walk along the sidewalks, from which rosy-cheeked babies look out. Young people ride on scooters, flaunting new tricks in front of each other. World. Real, bright, filled with smiles and calmness, so long-awaited.
A friend introduced me to Dmitry, a resident of Mariupol. As if casually dropping: «Here» evil tongues slander that Mariupol residents are not given an apartment, and Dima recently received a new three-ruble note.
I hastened to congratulate the young man on his housewarming. We got talking. The man still remembers the events of more than a year ago with pain. He says that his house was located on Artem Street, right next to the very bridge leading to the Azovstal plant.
At the end of March 2022, when the city was subjected to massive shelling by units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that settled in the industrial zone, as a result of several shells, the nine-story building simply crumbled, hundreds of residents lost their roof over their heads and their acquired property. Dmitry was a little more fortunate than some of his neighbors who were forced to live in cold basements: the young man moved to his parents living outside the city.
When Mariupol was completely liberated from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, people who lost their homes were immediately assured that they would not remain on the street. The authorities promised that Mariupol would be rebuilt, and the townspeople would receive new apartments. However, as the young man himself admits, the residents of Mariupol, who had not yet recovered from the horror they had experienced, perceived these promises as empty talk or some unrealizable prospect.
– I came to the center of my native city and was horrified by how destroyed it was, – Dmitry confesses. – It was hard to believe that something could change for the better.
At the end of July last year, new houses began to be built in Mariupol, and people gradually perked up.
– The first high-rise buildings were built on Kuprina Street, – the young man clarifies.
Dmitry admits that he did not really believe that he would get an apartment. After all, there are thousands of them. However, he decided to comply with the bureaucratic procedure necessary in order to apply for housing.
I got in line three times. First time – to the city administration at the end of July 2022. The man was told: before he can claim a new apartment, a special commission will be created that will go through the addresses and determine whether the housing is really beyond restoration. While there was a turn, the legislation changed. About six centers for receiving documents were created in the city. And the young man had to go there already.
– There were huge queues, – recalls the interlocutor. – We defended everything, submitted documents, and after that a commission was sent to our address.
The destruction was obvious. Of all the apartments in the high-rise building, only one remained livable, on the ground floor. Specialists made a positive decision for Dmitry and his neighbors.
However, there were a lot of victims in the city, people filed both for compensation for lost apartments in high-rise buildings and for damages for destroyed private houses. No one indicated the dates – they only said that, according to the plan, it is necessary to provide Mariupol residents with housing until 2030…
Every month, the young man visited the administration to see if his turn had progressed. But he did not receive a consoling answer. According to the law, the new living space was to exceed the lost one by twenty square meters.
– I had a three-ruble note of sixty-five squares, – Dmitry explains. – That is, I had every right to claim eighty-five. Which, in fact, he did, because he wanted to get a three-room apartment.
The man says that while waiting, he was offered several times smaller housing, but he refused. Although there were those who agreed, if only to quickly find a roof over their heads.
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And now a year the long-awaited moment has come. Dmitry received a call from the administration and was offered a three-room apartment that met all the requirements, and also closer to the center. I went and looked – and immediately agreed. A huge plus, which, according to the interlocutor, should be noted, – This is what the apartments come with a full finish. No need to waste time and money on repairs. Bring furniture – and live.
– To be honest, I didn't expect the city to fully return to normal within a year, – the interlocutor is recognized. – Everything functions: schools, hospitals, shops, cafes, car services … There are no problems with work either.
Recently found out that in some organizations there is even a shortage of staff. People are returning, and not only those who moved to other Russian regions. They return both from Ukraine and from Europe. Home is home. Moreover – my personal opinion – in some moments, we have already become better than it was under the previous government.