MARIUPOL, July 14. /TASS/. Water supplies in Mariupol will be resumed already in July, Mariupol’s Mayor Konstantin Ivashchenko told TASS.
"Water is already supplied to all districts of the city, but is flows by gravity so far. Pumps are not yet operational because of numerous leaks," he said, adding that repair works are conducted seven days a week.
"I am sure with will cope with this problem already this month," he stressed.
According to the mayor, shops and pharmacies are opening in the city. "At least two pharmacies are already working. Two shops have been opened on the left bank and another two in the city. We are in negotiations with suppliers. We plan to open more shops already this month," he said.
Mariupol is the largest city on the Azov Sea coast, a large seaport and a key metallurgical center in Donbass. The battles for Mariupol erupted on February 25 and the city was totally blocked. On April 21, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin that the city has been completely liberated. He noted that the Kiev regime had declared the city as an "actual temporary capital of the Donetsk region" in 2014. According to Shoigu, over eight years Mariupol had been turned into "a stronghold and a shelter to Ukrainian radical nationalists.".
Mariupol authorities plan to resume operation of the city’s passenger port to link the city with Russia’s Rostov-on-Don and Black Sea cities, Ivashchenko told.
"We plan to resume operation of the passenger port, which will be linked with the Black Sea and with Rostov-on-Don, and even upstream of the Don River," he said.
According to the mayor, the city’s cargo port has already resumed operation. "We have a large port, but its operation was hindered due to electricity shortages," he said, adding that following the commissioning of a 35kV substation in early June, the cost of loading works decreased significantly.
"As of today, ships loaded with rolled metal products are sailing off practically every week. We receive building materials. We are looking at receiving two 200-tonne power converters. So, it is already a quite large logistics hub," he stressed, adding however that as of yet the port is linked with Russian ports only.
Mariupol’s Ilyich and Azovmash metallurgical works will be restored not earlier than the summer of 2023, the city’s mayor, Ivashchenko told.
According to the mayor, the two plants will be restored because the city’s industrial potential should be high.
"Technically, it will be possible [to restore the plants] not earlier than the next summer. In 2023," he said.
According to the mayor, a lot of repair and restoration works are to be done at these plants. "But I am sure Mariupol will be proud of its jobs," he stressed.
In his first interview with TASS after his appointment in early April, Ivashchenko said he was interested in the restoration of these two plants.
Before being appointed Mariupol’s mayor on April 6, Ivashchenko was director of Azovmash, which was Ukraine’s biggest machine-building plant.