DONETSK, July 19. /TASS/. More than 280,000 people currently live in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR)’s Mariupol, there is a great need for new housing, Acting Head of the DPR Denis Pushilin said.

"We have a great need for new housing now, considering that there is an opportunity to get a preferential mortgage at 2%, considering that a lot of residential buildings have been destroyed, considering that people are returning as soon as the shelling eases. As for Mariupol, according to our information, more than 280,000 people live in this city, of course, new housing is now in demand. There are more applications than construction sites," Pushilin said during a Rossiya-24 TV broadcast.

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, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat 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.