Fire erupts at culture center in occupied Mariupol

The "Ukrainian House" cultural center was set ablaze in occupied Mariupol in Donetsk Oblast, the Mariupol City Council reported on Telegram.

City council added that despite Russian forces’ claims of deploying six firefighting brigades to put out the fire, only one brigade reportedly arrived at the scene and was unable to isolate it.

The exiled city administration learned about the fire from local residents. The fire reportedly erupted due to the detonation of an explosive brought into the building by unidentified individuals.

At the start of July, the National Resistance Center published a report saying that Russian-installed city administration developed an evacuation plan. These plans involve relocating collaborators, documentation, and the most valuable assets to Russia.

Russia has occupied the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol since May 2022, when its brutal three-month siege of the city ended. The port city on the Sea of Azov, which had a pre-war population of 480,000, was nearly completely destroyed.