Russian Defence Ministry said on Monday (March 6) that Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has visited Mariuopol, a city in southern Ukraine. His visit has come about a year after Russian forces besieged the city, levelling it to the ground.
Shoigu’s visit came amid attacks by Russian forces closing in on Bakhmut, the city in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian and Russian forces are battling hard for control of the city.
The ministry said Shoigu, one of the highest-ranking officials to visit east Ukraine, had toured the destroyed port city of Mariupol to oversee reconstruction efforts.
Watch | Wagner Chief: Our men running short of ammunition | Battle of Bakhmut
Shoigu “inspected work carried out by the… defence ministry to restore infrastructure in Donbas,” the ministry said, without specifying the timing of the visit.
As per the ministry, Shoigu visited a medical centre built by the military alongwith a newly constructed district with a dozen five-story residential buildings.
Russia launched a scorched-earth campaign against Mariupol at the start of its campaign last year, destroying the Azovstal steel works, which was the last holdout of Ukraine forces in the city.
Investigative teams linked to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny have reported that defence ministry officials are profiting personally from reconstruction efforts in Mariupol.
The ministry’s announcement comes one day after it said Shoigu had met with Russian soldiers deployed to a “command post in” eastern Ukraine.
Russia’s gruelling effort to capture Bakhmut has been spearheaded on the ground by the Russian mercenary group Wagner.
Its founder, Kremlin-ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, routinely criticises the defence ministry in social media videos allegedly filmed from the front.
(With inputs from agencies)
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
