Russia deliberately destroyed Mariupol. The Center for the Study of Occupation has released the first direct evidence that Moscow was preparing to seize the Ukrainian city long before the full-scale invasion began.

According to Petro Andriushchenko, the head of the organization, in 2019, Russia officially developed and published a project for a “transport and transit hub” on the territory of Mariupol.

This confirms that the occupation and destruction of the city were not a chaotic result of warfare, but part of a premeditated plan.

The project in question already listed Mariupol as part of the Russian-controlled illegal entity located in Donetsk Oblast territory. The documentation outlined the creation of an infrastructure hub in the Zhovtnevyi and Prymorskyi districts, south of the historic center, with specific geographic boundaries: from Pushkin and Kotovsky streets to the shoreline of the Taganrog Bay.

Two Russian institutions, the Arena Institute and the Unified Institute for Spatial Planning of the Russian Federation, which is responsible for urban policy in occupied territories, prepared the project.

“This is the first public proof of preparations for the complete destruction of Mariupol prior to the full-scale invasion,” Andriushchenko emphasizes.

Earlier, Zaur Gurtsiyev, deputy mayor of Stavropol and former commander of the air operation over Mariupol, was killed in a grenade explosion that occurred overnight on 29 May. The explosion reportedly occurred in southern Russia’s Stavropol city near a residential building.

He was awarded multiple Russian state honors, including an order for his role in the occupation of Mariupol.

Grenade explosion kills Russian commander behind 2022 Mariupol deadly airstrikes

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“An army where no one is held accountable for losses dies from within.” With these words, Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Mykhailo Drapatyi, has announced he is resigning after a Russian attack on the Kyiv forces’ military training base. 

Drapatyi announced his decision via social media. 

“This is a conscious step, driven by my personal sense of responsibility for the tragedy at the 239th training ground… This is my responsibility,” he wrote on Telegram. 

The general emphasized that impunity and complicity are toxic for the army and admitted that his efforts to change the system were not enough.

“We have no right to live in a system that doesn’t learn… Without personal responsibility, there is no victory,” he claimed. 

Drapatyi said he had initiated a full review of the incident, including the commanders’ actions, the condition of the shelters, and the effectiveness of the alert system.

Ukraine’s military command reported that a commission and internal investigation had been launched into the strike, and promised that those responsible would be held strictly accountable.

During the war, Mykhailo Drapatyi rose through the ranks from battalion commander to Deputy Chief of the General Staff. In his previous roles, Drapatyi was responsible for planning military operations.

From the early days of Russia’s aggression in 2014, he led the 2nd Mechanized Battalion of the 72nd Brigade, which took part in the liberation of Mariupol in May of that year.