Is Mariupol Russian? Is Mariupol Pro Russian? What cities does Russia control in Ukraine?

Mariupol is not Russian. Mariupol is a city in the Pryazovia region of Ukraine, located on the north shore of the Sea of Azov near the mouth of the Kalmius river. With a population of 431,859 people, it is Ukraine’s tenth largest city and the second-largest in Donetsk Oblast (2021 est.).

Mariupol was named the provisional administrative centre of the Donetsk Oblast following the War in Donbas when the city of Donetsk became the capital of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic in 2014. Ukrainian soldiers captured the city on June 13, 2014, but it has been attacked multiple times since then.

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the city was besieged and heavily damaged. There have been reports of the Russian military abusing civilians in Mariupol and allegations of war crimes. On March 13, 2022, the city was named Ukraine’s Hero City.

Mariupol, the Donetsk Oblast’s second-largest city, has been experiencing occasional unrest since March 2014. On March 18, 2014, pro-Russian and anti-government groups occupied the municipal council building for the first time.

As the war enters its third week, Russia sends in reinforcements to consolidate its grip on the important Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Mariupol. Russian advances in the south contrast with its forces’ struggles in the north and north-east.