Russia Aims to Lock Down Mariupol Residents Due to Cholera Risk

Russian troops intend to seal off access to the occupied city of Mariupol due to a potential outbreak of cholera. This was reported by the city’s mayoral advisor, Petr Andryushchenko.

At the same time, Russian military authorities plan to send sick Russian soldiers to infectious disease departments in Russia. Specifically, according to Andryushchenko, the first patients are already prepared to be received in Rostov-on-Don.

“The word ‘cholera’ is indeed being heard not only in the WHO but also within the city by the occupying authorities and their curators. Therefore, the city is being locked down, and this is very sad for us, as from all possible scenarios, in our opinion, Russia has chosen the most cynical approach in fighting the pandemic: simply locking people in the city and leaving everything as it is. Whoever survives will survive,” said the Mariupol mayoral advisor.

He also raised concerns about the worsening humanitarian situation in the city. According to Andryushchenko, residents receive drinking water “at best” once every two days, and starting July 1, only pensioners and individuals with disabilities will be able to hope for humanitarian aid.

The situation regarding burials is also deteriorating. “It’s hard to convey the realities of corpses in Mariupol. The city has become a place where there are bodies everywhere, corpses stacked up because the occupiers cannot cope with such a staggering number. There aren’t enough resources even to bury them in mass graves,” he said.

Earlier, Mariupol Mayor Vadim Boychenko stated that by the end of the year, more than 10,000 people in the city could die from diseases and unbearable living conditions, as the occupiers have turned Mariupol into a medieval ghetto. Thus, mortality will likely remain high. Without medication and medical assistance, water supply, and restoration of sewage systems, outbreaks will begin in the city.”

The WHO has also warned about the risk of cholera outbreak in the city. In mid-May, the WHO's Regional Director for Emergency Situations, Dorit Nitzan, expressed relevant concerns at a press conference in Kyiv, stating, “The lack of drinking water is a huge threat to the spread of numerous infections, including cholera.” The organization has reported that it is preparing cholera kits and vaccines for the residents of the city occupied by Russia.