buildings in Mariupol had been destroyed, according to the United Nations (UN) and Ukrainian authorities. Estimates for the number of civilian dead ranged from the UN's list of 1,348 confirmed deaths to the Ukrainian claim of over 25,000. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded Mariupol the title of Hero City of Ukraine due to Ukrainian forces's "valiant defense" of the city. In the months after taking control of the city, Russian authorities had many damaged buildings torn down, sometimes even turning out the remaining residents. Some new houses were also built. Associated Press describes this ongoing process as an effort to "eradicat[e] all vestiges of Ukraine" and to cover up "the evidence of war crimes". Local schools started using the Russian curriculum, the television and radio broadcast in Russian and many street names were replaced by their Soviet-era ones. Geography and ecology Geography Mariupol is located in the south of the Donetsk Oblast, on the coast of Sea of Azov and at the mouth of Kalmius River. It is located in an area of the Azov Lowland that is an extension of the Ukrainian Black Sea Lowland. To the east of Mariupol is the Khomutov Steppe, which is also part of the Azov Lowland, located on the border with Russia. The city occupies an area of , or including suburbs administered by the city council. The downtown area is , while the area of parks and gardens is . The city is mainly built on land that is made of solonetzic (sodium enriched) chernozem, with a significant amount of underground subsoil water that frequently leads to landslides. Climate Mariupol has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) with warm summers and cold winters. The average annual precipitation is . Agroclimatic conditions allow the cultivation of warmth-loving agricultural crops with long vegetative periods (sunflower, melons, grapes, etc.). However water resources in the region are insufficient, so ponds and water basins are used for the needs of the population and industry. In winter, the wind blows mainly from the east, and in summer the north. Ecology Mariupol has historically led Ukraine in the volume of emissions of harmful substances by industrial enterprises. The city's leading enterprises have begun to address these ecological problems, so, over the last 15 years, industrial emissions have fallen to nearly a half of their previous levels. Due to stable production by the majority of the large industrial