Russian residents are being duped by Kremlin propaganda into shopping for "cheap" flats in Mariupol.

The occupied Ukrainian metropolis is situated on the coast of the Sea of Azov and was captured by Putin's military final May after a horrific months-long siege that inflicted large casualties on the civilian inhabitants, in addition to devastating town.

According to UN estimates, 90 % of residential buildings have been broken or destroyed, and 350,000 individuals have been compelled to go away after the Russians attacked.

However, the Kremlin propaganda machine has gone into overdrive, making an attempt to steer Russians that town is rising from the ashes.

State media has trumpeted the large funding the Russian authorities is allegedly pouring into the port metropolis to rebuild it.

A latest report on the TV station Rossiya 1 boasted that new blocks of flats together with nurseries and faculties have been being rebuilt and restored with the "most modern technologies" at "record-breaking" tempo.

In an earlier try to try to painting life returning to regular, President Putin even paid an sudden go to to Mariupol in March this yr.

During a whirlwind tour, the Kremlin boss visited a number of websites, spoke to residents and was introduced with a report on reconstruction work within the metropolis.

The Kremlin's PR appears to have labored its magic on Russians searching for a discount, with many deciding to promote up and purchase low cost property within the occupied metropolis.

One such particular person is Vladimir, a resident of the Arctic Russian metropolis of Murmansk.

He is amongst dozens of Russians who've been searching for property in Mariupol on VKontakte, the nation's hottest social community, previously months.

Vladimir has already offered his flat and can quickly transfer into his Mariupol dwelling with all the household.

"I have found a property. Mariupol will be a beautiful city," he instructed the BBC.

"The main thing is that it's on the sea," including that he's going for it now as a result of costs are low.

He trotted out the same old Kremlin lie, claiming the Ukrainians destroyed their very own metropolis - seemingly oblivious to the truth that Putin's military besieged and mercilessly bombed Mariupol into submission.

"Russia will elevate town up from the bottom... and will likely be even higher than it was as a part of Ukraine," he mentioned.

While some areas of town have seen new flays constructed, a lot of Mariupol nonetheless lies in ruins with huge areas uninhabitable significantly across the centre.

Alexander (not his actual title), an worker of town's huge Azovstal metal plant who has stayed within the metropolis, instructed the BBC that what's being proven on Russian TV is "rubbish".

He estimates that up to now, solely about 10 % of houses broken within the preventing have been restored.

Many condominium blocks have been pulled down, deemed unsalvageable by development engineers.

These embrace a complete neighbourhood measuring roughy 350,000 sqm within the metropolis's east.

Aleksandr mentioned little or nothing is being constructed of their place.

"So they knock down a block of flats and now there's a just hole in the ground, no foundations are being laid down, nothing is being done," he mentioned.

The Kremlin's makes an attempt to encourage Russians to resettle in Mariupol is a part of its ongoing efforts to Russify the strategic port metropolis which is a key goal of Kyiv's counteroffensive.

Occupation officers have already modified Ukrainian-language highway indicators to Russian ones, launched the Russian curriculum in faculties and are pushing the remaining residents to accumulate Russian passports.