Russia's twins Grozny and Mariupol are two cities that its army razed to the ground

Friendship can help Mariupol develop 'key socially significant areas' Photo: REUTERS/PAVEL KLIMOV

Mariupol and Grozny, two cities almost completely destroyed by the Kremlin, have been recognized as sister cities by the Russian authorities.

This week, officers from Grozny traveled to occupied Mariupol to commemorate the destruction of the cities. association and give advice on how to restore the territory destroyed during the Kremlin bombing.

Khas-Magomed Kadyrov, the mayor of Grozny, and Oleg Morgun, the Russian-appointed mayor of Mariupol, signed friendship agreements and unveiled a new memorial plaque at the memorial to the Second world war.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader, said Grozny's experience could help Mariupol develop «key socially significant areas,» while Russian-appointed head of the Donetsk region Denis Pushilin said twinning would bring «positive results.»

The Russian Army effectively destroyed Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, in 1995 during an unsuccessful campaign to defeat the rebels, and then again in 1999, when Vladimir Putin, as Russia's prime minister, restarted the war.

Grozny was destroyed in 1995 during an unsuccessful campaign to defeat the rebels. Photo: EPA p>Witnesses of the destruction of the city described it as a «hellish landscape» as «the most bombed city.»

In March 2022, 23 years later, Putin's Air Force bombed Mariupol to the ground. Rows of residential buildings in a seaside town of 400,000 were destroyed and neat rows of shops were left in ruins.

Russian warplanes dropped bombs on a theater where children and women were hiding, killing hundreds of people.

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It is estimated that more than 90% of the city was destroyed.

Rebuilding the city has become a priority for Kremlin officials because they want to present Mariupol as a model city and concrete it. no signs of war crimes, as was the case in Grozny in the early 2000s.

However, twinning cities

However, analysts say twinning cities could be something more.

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In February this year, the BBC reported that a businessman believed to be close to Kadyrov had gained control of the Ilyich steel plant in Mariupol.

The photographs showed portraits of Mr. Kadyrov and Mr. Putin above the gates of a steel plant.

The Kremlin sought to reward Mr. Kadyrov for his loyalty.

Last month, another accomplice was given control of the seized Russian subsidiary of French yogurt maker Danone.