INSPIRATIONHULL

City's rebuild after WWII blitz is blueprint for Mariupol rebirth

- LUCY THORNTON

HULL'S rise from the ashes of its Second World War bombardment could serve as a blueprint for the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

A Ukrainian academic said on a visit to East Yorkshire that it was similar enough to his own city for architects to learn valuable rebuilding lessons.

Mariupol has been under Russian control since it was besieged in February 2022. The people of the city endured two months of heavy bombardment as soldiers tried to defend the community of nearly 500,000.

Residents were trapped in basements for weeks without power or water.

At least 8,000 people were killed, according to a human rights report.

Mariupol State University was destroyed and the institution is now in exile, with staff relocated to Kyiv.