Russia rebuilds Mariupol to hide thousands killed, like in Grozny — Zelenskyy

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy made this statement in an interview with Italian journalist Cecilia Sala for the Il Foglio outlet.

He emphasized that the exact number of Ukrainians who died due to Russian aggression in Mariupol remains unknown. While initial reports suggested around 20,000 deaths, Zelenskyy noted that the true figure cannot be determined without thorough investigations on the ground.

The President also highlighted that Russian forces captured thousands of Ukrainians, including military personnel, and forcibly relocated a significant number of children to Russia.

Zelenskyy noted that many in Mariupol were injured or killed beneath the rubble, which is why Russia is eager to quickly rebuild the city.

“They are doing exactly what they did in Grozny during the Chechen war. Imagine, when Chechnya was fighting for its independence, Grozny ceased to exist—there wasn’t a single building left standing. They destroyed the entire city and then rebuilt it, primarily to hide all the people they had killed. They are just terrible people. That’s why no one knows the real number (of dead - ed.),” the president said.

• In March of last year, another site of a spontaneous burial was discovered in temporarily occupied Mariupol, containing residents killed during Russian attacks.