Grozny (demolished by Russia in 1995) and Mariupol (demolished by Russia in 2022) declared ‘twin cities’ by Russian government
The Chechen capital Grozny and Mariupol in the Russian-annexed Donetsk region of Ukraine have been “twinned” by a formal agreement, signed during the Chechen officials’ working visit to the Donbas.
Mariupol was represented at the meeting by Oleg Morgun, head of its Russian-installed administration. The mayor of Grozny Khas-Magomed Kadyrov (a member of the Chechen Governor Ramzan Kadyrov’s extended family) signed for the other side.
A friendship agreement lays out provisions for long-term trade, technical, and socio-cultural cooperation between the parties.
An announcement on the Chechen government’s website says that Denis Pushilin, the Russian-appointed head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk “republic,” remarked on the usefulness of Chechnya’s experience for Mariupol. “The Chechen Republic’s experience in eliminating the after-effects of war is already being implemented in DNR, bringing positive results in spheres like utilities, road-building, and construction of socially significant facilities,” the text reads.
“We remember the pace of Grozny’s reconstruction,” Pushilin said, referring to the damage caused by the Russian military during Russia’s Chechen wars of 1994–1996 and 1999–2000.
Pushilin now intends to integrate Chechnya’s experience in Mariupol, where up to 90 percent of all housing has been demolished by the invading Russian army in 2022.
