MOSCOW, July 18. /TASS/. People have started to return to Mariupol, and the population of the city now stands at 270,000 people, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said.

"Just a few days ago I was in Mariupol. <...> The roads are being repaired, people are actively returning, <...> already more than 270,000 people live there," he said at the Federation Council.

Mariupol is being rebuilt according to the master plan for development of the city, which was presented to Russian President Vladimir Putin in July 2022. It provides for the construction and restoration of housing and public facilities, the creation of a new transport hub, including a railway station, port and tram lines, as well as the development of the airport area.

In August 2022, Khusnullin reported that in 2021 there were about 212,000 residents in the city. By 2025, according to the Deputy Prime Minister, the population of the city is expected to grow to 350,000 people.