Russia unveils plans to resettle occupied Ukrainian territories, media reports

As reported on March 17, 2026, Russian authorities intend to relocate approximately 114,000 Russian citizens to vast areas of Ukrainian territory under occupation – including Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson – covering about 116,000 sq km still held by Russian forces as of late 2025. The plans involve 15 master plans and 10 land-use projects to boost population by more than 110,000 people. Infrastructure projects include rebuilding over 3,270 km of roads, 430 km of railways, constructing 13 million square meters of housing, over 140 kindergartens, dozens of schools, and about 100 medical facilities. Authorities also plan to reconstruct four airfields and develop tourism targeting up to 9.4 million visitors by 2044. Despite these ambitious efforts, many areas remain battle zones with frequent attacks. Mariupol, seized by Russia in May 2022, symbolizes the failures of occupation reconstruction where demolished housing is not replaced for displaced residents. The Russian occupation administration has reassigned legal addresses and built apartments mostly for Russian citizens, which stand largely unoccupied, leaving thousands of displaced Ukrainians homeless.