Russians build new army base in captured Mariupol, satellite images show
3 December 2022, 19:06 | Updated: 3 December 2022, 19:08
Russia has built a new army base in a key occupied city - and placed a huge military slogan on the roof.
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Putin's forces emblazoned the huge building in the north of Mariupol, eastern Ukraine with a logo for the Russian army.
The facility is thought to be used for weapons storage.
Satellite images released by American firm Maxar Technologies also show a small building surrounded by a wall to hide it.
And the city's main cemetery has been vastly expanded, in two images comparing the number of graves in late March to last week.
Maxar tweeted: "In Mariupol, a Russian military compound has been recently built in the north-center of the city. Notice the Russian Army slogan on the top of the roof.
"The main city cemetery (Starokrymske) on the western side of Mariupol has had significant expansion of the number of graves."
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The almost three-month Battle of Mariupol saw nearly 25,000 civilians killed.
Russia finally took the key strategic city in south-eastern Ukraine last May.
It is now seeking to consolidate its control of the city as Kyiv forces make gains in other occupied territories.
Putin is reportedly planning a visit to the war-torn Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin told Russian news agencies today.
"In due time this will happen, of course. This is a region of the Russian Federation," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
The Russian leader has described the occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions as “ancient Russian lands".
