KAZAN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th May, 2023) A plan to rebuild the city of Bakhmut, also known as Artyomovsk, will be finalized once the city is liberated, it is possible to rebuild the city as there is no "terrible" destruction, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin has told Sputnik.
"When the city is liberated, we will make a plan. I was there and examined the degree of destruction: there is destruction, and the city is similar to Mariupol, but to say that there is some terrible destruction, that the whole city is destroyed - no, I would not say that. It is quite possible to rebuild the city. We have already estimated a rough budget, and we are outlining a plan of action. When the operational situation allows, we will rebuild it," Khusnullin said on the sidelines of the 14th International economic forum "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum."
The deputy prime minister added that a pool of companies willing to rebuild the city has already formed.
Khusnullin visited Bakhmut in late April.
The hotly contested Bakhmut, located north of the city of Donetsk, has been the center of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine for months. The city is an important transport hub with many crossroads for Donbas and served as a vital center for supplying Ukrainian troops stationed in the region at the beginning of the military operation launched by Russia in Ukraine over a year ago.
