DONETSK, July 25. /TASS/. Mariupol Airport will become a military-civilian airfield and the authorities of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) intend to restore it in the next three years, Deputy Chairman of the DPR Government Yevgeny Solntsev told TASS on Monday.
"We will be rebuilding Mariupol Airport in the next three years. We have determined that it will be a military-civilian airport, i.e. a dual-purpose facility," he said.
In the first place, Russian field engineers will complete clearing the entire territory of the airport of mines this year, the DPR official said.
"This work will be carried out step by step: surveying, designing and construction. In three years’ time, it will be possible to buy tickets and fly to Mariupol," Solntsev added.
It was reported on July 20 that specialists of the Russian Defense Ministry’s International Mine Action Center had begun to clear Mariupol Airport of mines.
The battle of Mariupol began on February 25. Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov reported on May 20 that the Russian troops had fully liberated the territory of the Azovstal steel plant held by the Ukrainian military.