Russia announces major upgrade to key Donbass port
The Russian government has announced plans for a major upgrade to the cargo port in the city of Mariupol, in the country’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). The city was largely in ruins following a fierce battle between Russia and Ukraine in spring 2022.
Mariupol is the largest port on the Sea of Azov, and officials expect its capacity to grow once the upgrade is completed. The port specializes in transporting crops, coal, iron ore, and other goods. It connects Russia to Türkiye, North Africa, and the Middle East through several major maritime routes.
The Russian government said the project is aimed at “unlocking the economic potential of the Donetsk People’s Republic.”
In August, Russia opened the port of Mariupol to foreign vessels. Last Saturday, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin ordered the creation of a permanent cargo border checkpoint in the city.
DPR leader Denis Pushilin said in June that Mariupol is on track to become a major transportation hub.
Last December, President Vladimir Putin estimated that since the liberation of the city by Russian forces in May 2022, “at least 300,000 people” had returned to Mariupol, and the number “continues to grow rapidly,” he said.
The trend has also been acknowledged by some Ukrainian officials.
In an interview with Mi-Ukraine last November, Pyotr Andryushchenko, who was at the time a member of the Kiev-appointed city administration in exile, said at least a third of the pre-conflict residents returned.
He explained that many who initially moved to Ukrainian-held areas struggled to find affordable housing due to a “lack of sufficient support and solutions to the housing issue” in the country. Andryushchenko was fired shortly after making the remarks.
The DPR, along with the neighboring Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), seceded from Ukraine following the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014. The two territories, along with the regions of Zaporozhye and Kherson, joined Russia following referendums in September 2022.
