The Minister for Veterans Affairs Yulia Laputina has arrived in Mariupol on a working visit. She laid flowers at the memorial sign "To the soldiers who gave their lives for Ukraine" and met with Mayor Vadym Boichenko.
The Mayor said that the city is actively developing and changing due to the fact that seven years ago the military defended Mariupol. Today, the key goal is to become a showcase of the restored Donbas.
‘We want to destroy the invisible wall between us and the occupied territories. We use the tools that Ukraine provides. In particular, decentralization. We uncover the potential of Mariupol developing systematically,’ Vadym Boichenko said.
According to him, “new Mariupol residents” and the military play an important role in the development. The key task is to integrate them into the community. One of her tools is the retraining of ATO veterans. Mariupol allows those who wish to get a new profession upon request.
Another integration tool is the provision of housing. More than 100 thousand IDPs arrived in the city. In 2017, a program was launched to provide them with housing. Thus, 222 apartments have already been issued, including 53 ATO veterans.
Yulia Laputina positively assessed the designation of the IDPs as “new Mariupol residents”. She noted that this speaks of respect and a desire to unite those who defended the city and the state.
‘What we see now is a kind of magnet for those who feel like Ukrainian in the occupied territory, but cannot feel free. The indicator of how many people have moved to Mariupol shows that people see that it is better here. The energy of development is important today. One of its most important components is our defenders. They defended the country and they must be active members of society,’ the Minister noted.
The parties discussed programs aimed at protecting ATO veterans and problematic issues that need to be addressed.
