When the “action” starts: Debunking 12 falsehoods from Vladimir Putin’s “Direct Line”
“There is actually something of a construction boom happening in the annexed regions, and by our estimates, at least 300,000 people have already returned to Mariupol, and the population continues to grow rapidly.” This figure is highly unlikely to reflect reality. Official Ukrainian data puts Mariupol’s pre-war population in January 2022 at 425,000, while Mariupol’s legitimate Ukrainian mayor, Vadym Boychenko, previously stated the city had 540,000 residents before the war.