Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, arrived in Mariupol by helicopter, as reported by the Kremlin’s press service. The arrival took place that night, and after touchdown the president traveled through affected districts, inspected several sites, and spoke with local residents, according to TASS.
RIA Novosti later described a meeting between the president and residents of Mariupol who had recently bought new apartments. In footage from the Nevsky micro-region, Putin is seen engaging with a handful of cheerful locals and asking them whether they like living there. One woman told him that this place is their little bit of heaven and expressed hope that the heaven on earth would grow. She admitted she does not expect to receive an apartment within the year.
Another elder resident expressed his pleasure at seeing the president in the city. The Kremlin stated that Putin personally visited one of the apartments, invited by the tenants themselves. During the trip by car, Putin met with Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, who oversees construction and restoration efforts in a city that was ravaged by hostilities. Khusnullin provided a progress report to the head of state.
Khusnullin emphasized the focus on building new settlements, social and educational facilities, housing and communal services infrastructure, and healthcare institutions. He also guided Putin through the Philharmonic building, noting that authorities expect to complete the facade restoration of Mariupol’s center by the end of 2023. The deputy prime minister described the decision not to destroy certain monuments in the area and to repair the central portion, aiming to finish at least the front part by year’s end.
Putin responded to Khusnullin’s remarks about the mining of hospitals by Ukrainian forces and the shelling of housing infrastructure, calling the perpetrators Nazis and asserting that normal people do not engage in such acts. Khusnullin informed Putin that public transport has resumed with 110 buses operating on routes, with tram service planned to begin by summer. He also mentioned plans for civil and international airport status by 2025, noting the facility is currently used by the military.
According to Khusnullin, population signs of recovery were evident as restoration continued, with people gradually returning to the city. The president, accompanied by the deputy prime minister, toured the new housing complex and a playground, and the Kremlin press service noted that Putin visited parts of the Sea of Azov coastline near the Mariupol yacht club and several other notable sites in the city.
From Mariupol, the president proceeded to Rostov-on-Don for a meeting with the armed forces at the command post. On March 19, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin intends to issue directives to address the concerns raised by Mariupol residents. The residents had asked about delays in salary payments, the registration of Russian citizenship, and the issuance of Russian passports. The president would issue instructions to address these issues, according to the Kremlin. Peskov also noted that the trip to Mariupol was spontaneous.
He explained that the trip was not a convoy event and that Putin adhered to traffic rules while driving. Overall, the journey was described as a comprehensive fact-finding and reporting mission. Peskov added that the presidential office initially planned only a visit to the new residential complex, but neither direct citizen engagement nor visits to other sites were on the schedule. When Putin arrived at the headquarters of the NWO, the trip was also unplanned. The special services and defense department were not coordinating the visit, but they worked around the clock, with reports flowing in as the president arrived in time for a full reporting session.
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