Russia unveils plans to resettle occupied Ukrainian territories, media reports
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Russian authorities aim to relocate nearly 114,000 citizens to occupied Ukrainian territories by 2045, pro-Kremlin publication Vedomosti reported on March 17, citing government plans for the development of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.
As of the end of 2025, about 116,000 square kilometers (44,800 square miles) of Ukrainian territory remained under Russian occupation, according to Ukrainian open-source mapping project DeepState.
Russian forces have repeatedly used scorched-earth tactics in these areas, leveling homes and critical infrastructure, leaving the vast majority of occupied territories in ruins, often without access to electricity or running water.
The government has announced 15 master plans and 10 land-use projects, which it says could increase the population by 67,000 people under the master plans and a further 46,700 through the projects, Vedomosti reported.
Russia aims to build more than 13 million square meters of housing, over 140 kindergartens, several dozen schools, and about 100 medical facilities in occupied Ukrainian territories, according to the state development corporation VEB.RF.
According to the plans, roughly 3,270 kilometers (2,033 miles) of roads and about 430 kilometers (267 miles) of railways are set to be rebuilt in the occupied territories. The Russian government also intends to construct marinas and piers and to reconstruct four airfields.
Russian authorities are also seeking to develop tourism in the occupied Ukrainian territories, aiming to attract up to 9.4 million visitors by 2044. Potential sites include settlements in southern Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts, Kherson Oblast, and the Arabat Spit along the western coast of the Sea of Azov.
Occupied territories near the front lines, particularly in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, which the Russian government seeks to resettle, are also frequently hit by attacks and active fighting.
Mariupol in Donetsk Oblast, fully occupied by Russian forces on May 20, 2022, provides a stark example of Russia's so-called "reconstruction."
During the city's capture, Russian troops struck the local drama theater, which had been sheltering civilians, killing about 600 people, including children, and injuring roughly 400. The theater was reopened in December 2025, with Russian authorities heavily promoting the event in state media.
Over the past four years, the occupation administration has demolished more than 360 already-destroyed apartment buildings. Despite promises to replace housing for residents, authorities have reassigned legal addresses and begun constructing apartments under mortgage for Russian citizens, the Mariupol City Council, operating in Ukrainian-controlled areas, said.
At the same time, new buildings mostly stand empty, as the apartments remain unoccupied. Meanwhile, about 18,000 Mariupol residents still do not have their own homes, according to the city council.
