Russians are buying apartments by the sea built on the site of Mariupol homes destroyed by Russia, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported on August 15, 2026.
Russians moving to occupied Mariupol are buying apartments built on the site of Ukrainian homes destroyed during the Russian siege in 2022. Ukrainians who lived on these plots did not receive any of the new apartments, a source told the publication.
This construction is part of a broader Russification of occupied Mariupol. The occupation authorities separately put up for redistribution nearly 900 apartments, including those belonging to residents forced to leave the city due to the siege.
Who is buying the new housing and mortgage conditions
Economist Vyacheslav Shiryayev noted that the new apartments are being bought mainly by newcomers, including Russian security forces, officials, and military logistics workers. Some simply want to live by the sea but cannot afford real estate in occupied Crimea or Sochi, a Russian resort city on the Black Sea, he said.
In the regions occupied by Russia, borrowers with Russian citizenship are offered mortgages at 2% per annum, DW reported. The occupation authorities also ordered some residents to leave apartments that survived the attacks. Some of them were sent to hostels or housing on the outskirts of Mariupol instead of being provided with new housing, a DW source reported.
Since DW was unable to enter occupied Mariupol, its investigation was based on the testimonies of former residents, satellite images, and online research.
Destroyed homes are being replaced with housing for newcomers
For former residents, homes destroyed during the siege are being replaced with apartments for newcomers. Galina Artemova, an English teacher, lived for almost 40 years in one of the demolished apartment buildings. A Russian rocket hit the building in March 2022. Injured by shrapnel, she fled with her mother and son. Now, a new high-rise stands in the place of her former home.
Photographer Yevgen Sosnovsky and his wife lived for 20 years in a neighboring building. It caught fire during the attack, and Russian troops expelled the residents, not allowing them to take food or clothes with them. Sosnovsky photographed his apartment before and after the attack, preserving evidence of his lost home. Now, a parking lot is located in its place.
“They are building on human bones and doing it quickly to destroy the traces of their crimes,” Sosnovsky told DW.
The new housing is part of Russia’s broader efforts to reform Mariupol after its forces destroyed and occupied the city. The UN estimated that up to 90% of the city’s residential buildings were damaged or destroyed.
On March 16, 2022, Russia bombed the Mariupol Drama Theater, where civilians were hiding under a large sign “CHILDREN.” A witness described the chaos, blood, and survivors using torn blankets as bandages. After destroying the city, Moscow plans to relocate about 114,000 of its citizens to the occupied regions of Ukraine, with Mariupol being one of the main destinations.
