Shoigu's visit came amid Ukrainian and Russian forces’ battle to control the city

The Russian Defence Ministry on Monday notified Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu’s visit to Mariupol, a southern Ukraine city. His visit came following year-long Russian forces besieging the city.

Shoigu's visit came amid Ukrainian and Russian forces’ battle to control the city. 

The ministry in its official statement confirmed Shoigu’s tour to the destroyed port city of Mariupol is to oversee the reconstruction efforts.

It added the inspected work carried out by the defence minister will soon help to restore the infrastructure in Donbas. The minister further visited a medical centre built by the military along with a newly constructed district with a dozen five-story residential buildings.

Russia launched a scorched-earth campaign against Mariupol at the start of its campaign last year that destroyed the Azovstal steel works, a last holdout of Ukraine forces in the city.

Meanwhile reports also claim the defence ministry officials are making personal profits from the reconstruction efforts in Mariupol.