Destroyed Azovstal remains largely unchanged years after battle
Petro Andriushchenko, head of the Center for the Study of Occupation and a former adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, published new photos showing the destroyed Azovstal steel plant in the Russian-occupied city.
The Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, which has been under Russian occupation for over four years, remains largely unchanged, according to new photos shared by Petro Andriushchenko, head of the Center for the Study of Occupation. The steelworks continues to stand in ruins, a stark reminder of the battle that took place there in April 2022.
In August 2024, the Mariupol City Council reported that Russian occupation authorities had plans to transform the site into a tourist park. They believed this could attract visitors to the occupied city. However, recent information suggests that Russian forces now intend to construct a military facility at the site, powered by the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.
Russian forces launched an attack on the Azovstal plant on April 19, 2022, during the intense battle for Mariupol. Ukrainian troops formed a defensive perimeter inside the complex, which was nearly entirely demolished by Russian airstrikes during the intense fighting. The defenders of Azovstal, including members of the Azov Regiment, were captured by Russian forces in May 2022. As of May, more than 2,500 Mariupol defenders were in Russian captivity, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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