Russian families sold on Putin's promise of affordable, seaside living are selling their homes and hunting for cheaper properties in occupied Ukraine

• Russians are flocking to the occupied city of Mariupol for cheap apartments.
• One Russian migrant who spoke to the BBC was excited at the prospect of a seaside apartment.

The BBC reported that as the Kremlin looks to reconstruct the occupied city of Mariupol into a Russian town, Russian families are starting to buy property in the area.

Russian forces took control of Mariupol in spring 2022 following a deadly siege that drove out city officials. The besieged town is currently undergoing a transformation led by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who visited the territory in February to inspect a new Russian-constructed apartment building.

The BBC reported that Russian officials are putting up Russian road signs are being erected, schools are changing their curricula, and Russian migrants are now moving in with the hopes of finding cheap rent.

The publication identified dozens of Russians flooding VKontakte, Russia's most popular social-media site, to inquire about property in the area.

Vladimir, a Russian resident who sold his home in Murmansk to move to Mariupol, told the BBC in an interview that he wanted to move to Mariupol to live with his family in a cheap seaside apartment.

"Mariupol will be a beautiful city," Vladimir, who was only identified by his first name, told the publication.

Despite Russia's insistence that the city is now formally part of the country, reports from Russian officials paint a picture that Ukrainians are still fighting back.

Insider's Tom Porter reported that Ukrainian resistance fighters recently poisoned 17 Russian officers, killing at least two, local reports said.

Ukrainian civilians have also adopted the Ukrainian letter "ï" — a letter not found in the Russian alphabet that some civilians have spray-painted around the city — as a sign of opposition to the Russian occupation of the area, reports said.