Moscow’s ambitions in occupied Mariupol are becoming increasingly concrete. According to the National Resistance Center, an organization led by Ukrainian special forces, the Russian government has drawn up plans to increase the city’s population by 300,000 by 2035 through immigration. According to The Kyiv Independent, the relevant information came from occupation administration documents that fell into the hands of the local underground resistance.

A key means of implementing these plans appears to be a program offering cheap mortgages for real estate in the occupied Ukrainian territories, including Mariupol. It is designed to persuade Russians to relocate to these regions, according to information from the National Resistance Center. In addition to this real estate incentive, Moscow is also banking on the relocation of migrant workers and government officials from less privileged Russian regions, according to the report.

Moscow forces demographic changes

Another worrying point highlighted by the center and highlighted by The Kyiv Independent is the forced deportation of residents from Mariupol and other occupied territories to Russia. This could be part of a strategy to shift the demographic composition of the occupied territories in favor of residents with ties to Russia.