The leader of the terrorist group "DNR" Denys Pushylin said that Mariupol stopped developing as a tourist and resort city during the years of the rule of Ukraine.
The TRYBUN correspondent explains why this is an outright lie.
"During the many years of Ukrainian rule, Mariupol stopped developing as a tourist and resort town - we are reforming it. The head of the DNR, Denys Pushylin, said it in an interview to “Donbas reshaet” channel, one of the enemy sources, on July 24.
The evidence that Ukraine was really engaged in Mariupol are numerous projects aimed specifically at the development of tourism.
For example, in 2019, the "m.EHUB" team (local department of tourism and promotion of the Mariupol City Council) implemented a project within of which a website was created, aimed at both tourists and guests of the city, as well as residents of Mariupol.
"Our team wants to emphasize that there are many events taking place in the city, there are bright establishments and comfortable places to relax. Therefore, on the tourist website you can find out about the nearest events, nearby attractions, where to stay, where to eat deliciously and take a walk on your own along the tourist route, as well as cooperate with us and offer your content", - this is what the "m.EHUB" team wrote about the initiative that contributed to the development of tourism.
They emphasized that Mariupol is famous not only for the sea, but also for other important places. Yes, it was possible to visit various excursions in Mariupol.
Blogger and traveler, the author of the Youtube channel "Nepopsovaya Ukraine" (now is "CONTENT MASTER") Hanna Dubovska visited Mariupol in 2021 and was surprised that the city turned into a real resort.
Here's what she says in her video review:
"Reconstructed squares, parks, the pier, the cleanliness and good roads made the city attractive, I want to come back here. And Mariupol is not stopping there: work on the reconstruction of the embankment is currently underway. The project is ambitious, in several phases, and will be completely ready in three to four years. 15 years ago, this city did not evoke any feelings in me, it was old and tired, but now I fell in love with it. Mariupol has become younger and prettier!"
By 2022, Mariupol had a rich tourist potential thanks to its picturesque beaches (it is here that a narrow strip of sandy beaches stretched for 16 km) and historical monuments. Even the proximity of the front line did not hinder the development of tourism.
Collaborator Pushylin also stated about water purification in the sea:
"High interest in seasonal recreation on the coast of the Azov Sea has always existed. Now the discharge of industrial waste by enterprises has decreased, which has affected the purification of sea water."
Indeed, Mariupol ranked first place in Ukraine in terms of emissions of harmful substances by industrial enterprises. We will remind that two large metallurgical plants operated in the city - Mariupol Metallurgical Plant named after Ilyich and "Azovstal", the products of which made up a significant part of Ukraine's exports.
Recently, leading enterprises of the city began to deal with environmental issues, thus, industrial emissions have decreased by almost 2 times over the past 15 years. Pushylin talks about reducing the level of pollution, but at what cost? The price is of a complete shutdown of enterprises.
To the tourism point, we should mention the year 2020, when Mariupol received the status of "Great Cultural Capital of Ukraine". In order to participate in the competition, the city had to show its plan for upcoming activities and events that could attract tourists to Mariupol and Ukraine as a whole. It stands to mention that Mariupol beat such cities as Lviv, Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Poltava, and Dnipro in the competition.
The former first deputy of Mariupol City Council Head Oleksandr Holtvenko in 2017 said in a commentary on Radio Liberty that about 35,000 people visited the beach in Mariupol over the weekend alone. It is obvious that this figure has been growing every year.
What about today?
A large part of the beach looks like this:
In addition, the majority of vacationers on Ukrainian beaches are Russians. For example, Serhiy and Maksym came from St. Petersburg, for some reason they chose Ukraine for their vacation:
Or a family from Chechnya caused a scandal in Mariupol by parking their Lexus in the middle of the beach. The visitors ignored the request to remove the car, which greatly infuriated the vacationers:
So Russia once again spread fakes about Mariupol - a city that was the pearl of Ukraine, a place of rest for many Ukrainians.
On March 6, 2022, Mariupol was awarded the honorary title "Hero City of Ukraine" by the Decree of the President of Ukraine in order to celebrate the feat, mass heroism and resilience of citizens, shown in the defense of their cities during the standing up against of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
