The Russian invaders turned the Korolenko Central City Library into a temporarily occupied building. The Korolenko Central City Library in temporarily occupied Mariupol has been turned into ruins. This was reported by the Mariupol City Council. The central library moved to a historic building in the city centre at 43 Grecheskaya Street in 2019. More than a century ago, it was home to the first bank in southeastern Ukraine that supported the construction of the Nikopol and Providence steel plants in Mariupol. 

A few years before the full-scale Russian invasion, more than 150,000 books were moved here and a modern coworking space was opened, hosting presentations, meetings with cultural figures and exhibitions of local artists.

"But all of this was deliberately destroyed by the Russians during the blockade of the city. Now the historic building looks more like ruins," the Mariupol City Council wrote.

As a result of the Russian armed aggression, many books of the Mariupol library were lost. Later, the staff moved to Dnipro, where they began to collect literature again.