Mariupol residents have been living in Russian temporary accommodation centers for the third year.

For more than two years of military actions, a significant number of Ukrainian citizens have been forced to seek refuge in the Russian Federation. Prolonged stays in temporary accommodation centers (TACs) have become a reality for many.

Most residents of the temporary accommodation centers are forced to stay there due to the lack of alternative housing or ongoing fighting in their home regions. The residents of Mariupol, who lost their homes, have not yet received the housing promised by the Russian authorities. Despite three years in the TACs and promises from the Russian authorities, many have not been able to return home. As a result of the so-called inclusion of Mariupol into the “Donetsk People’s Republic,” many apartments were declared ownerless and transferred to municipal ownership, depriving people of the opportunity to receive housing in new buildings and leaving them only with what survived the destruction.

Life in the TACs, away from home and among unfriendly people, has become unbearable for many. The desire to return home remains strong, but there is no opportunity to do so, or it is associated with life-threatening dangers. Refugees hope for housing that will allow them to return to their cities. However, finding work for those registered in the “LPR” and “DPR” remains a challenging task, and even if employed, the salary is often so low that it does not allow them to leave state housing and rent an apartment.

Problems with food in the TACs also remain relevant: food is delivered in trays and distributed on schedule in plastic dishes, and refugees’ complaints about the quality of food are ignored. Despite the state allocating 600 rubles a day for each resident of the TAC, which for a family of five amounts to 21,000 rubles a week, these funds are insufficient for a decent life. The lack of a long-term strategy to resolve the housing issue and create stable jobs leaves people in a state of uncertainty and deprives them of prospects for a return to normal life.

In light of recent events, it is impossible to ignore the reality: the process, ironically called “liberation,” has actually led to the degradation of living conditions in the occupied territories. This period has not marked the dawn of a new era, but the deepening of a crisis that has affected all aspects of local life.