This billionaire is suing Russia for $20 billion for Mariupol damage

Ukraine’s richest man, Rinat Akhmetov, is planning to sue Russia for nearly $20 billion for losses caused by the bombardment of steel plants in Mariupol.

The Illich Steel and Iron Works, also owned by Akhmetov, was badly damaged during the Russian shelling of Mariupol.

The Siege of Mariupol

Mariupol was reduced to a near wasteland after weeks of siege and airstrikes, with soldiers and civilians seeking shelter in underground bunkers under the bombed-out Azovstal steel plant.

People seeking shelter told the media there is no work, food or water in Mariupol, and the electricity had been out since early March.

WATCH: $20 billion for damage

Russia has since pledged to rebuild the southeastern coastal city and turn it into a seaside resort, however, journalists on a recent trip were kept away from the Azovstal plant.

While the fighting has died down, the plant remains a symbol of fierce Ukrainian resistance.

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Russia cancels school holidays

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian official said Russian troops occupying the coastal city cancelled school summer holidays to prepare pupils for switching to a Russian curriculum.

“The occupiers have announced the extension of the school year until September 1,” city official Petro Andryushchenko wrote on social media.