Moya Kyivshchyna spoke with Oleksii Chernyshov, Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, about the rebuilding of the Kyiv region after the Russian occupiers made themselves at home here.

Text by: Anton Bolbochan, reporter

How many infrastructure facilities and residential buildings were approximately destroyed in the Kyiv region? What are the estimated losses?

You have surely seen the current state of some towns in the Kyiv region. The whole world saw the footage from Bucha and Borodianka.

According to the latest information from the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, more than 1,400 buildings in the Kyiv region have suffered significant damage or destruction. In fact, half of the region’s municipalities have been affected by the actions of the terrorist state. 25 apartment complexes, 285 private estates, 5 educational institutions, and 4 health care facilities were completely destroyed.

The towns that suffered the most as a result of the shelling were the Bucha district (Irpin, Bucha, Makariv, Borodianka, Dmytriv municipalities), the Brovary district (Velyka Dymerka municipality) and the Vyshhorod district (Dymerka, Ivankiv municipalities).

As for the losses, I can’t name specific figures yet. There is a regional monitoring group that operates in the towns and villages and records the effects of hostilities. The Ministry of Regional Development arranged the work of experts who have already begun the process of inspecting buildings and facilities damaged as a result of military aggression by the Russian Federation.

So far I can say for sure that it will be tens of billions of euros. But people’s lives are priceless!

 

How is the budget formed to rebuild everything destroyed?

We are now trying to consolidate all possible sources of funding for the future rebuilding of our country, including international foundations, state and city budgets and private donations.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has instructed the Government to form four funds to finance the rebuilding of Ukraine. The first fund will deal with the restoration of destroyed property and infrastructure. The second fund is for the recovery and transformation of the economy, the third one is for debt service and repayment, and the fourth one will support the affected businesses.

However, now the war is still ongoing and the whole economy is working toward the victory, so we rely primarily on funds from international donors, philanthropists and various charities.

By the way, U-LEAD with Europe together with the Ministry of Regional Development launched a programme to support the regions affected by Russia’s military aggression. Just a few days ago, together with Matti Maasikas, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, we visited the hub in the Kyiv region, which has already been distributing the first package of aid to the municipalities of the region.

At the same time, the Government has already allocated UAH 400 million from the reserve fund for the Kyiv region for priority works to reduce the impact of hostilities.

 

How do citizens need to prove their property damage, such as the cost of houses, appliances and their value?

This issue is extremely important. While being socially painful, it needs proper legislative regulation. To address this, Draft Law No. 7198 has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) and will be considered by MPs in the near future.

However, now you can report damage caused by the enemy and basically apply now through the Diia application.

Thanks to this information, among other things, the Government will be able to calculate the losses and estimate what funds are needed for rebuilding.

 

What has the Ministry been doing since the first days of the war to meet the humanitarian needs of the population?

From the first days of the war, the Ministry of Regional Development together with other ministries, including the Ministry of Social Policy, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Agriculture, organised the delivery of humanitarian aid to regions and municipalities in the war zone. In particular, twelve humanitarian logistics hubs were opened in the countries bordering the western regions of Ukraine, such as Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary.

From there, humanitarian aid came to established logistics hubs in the western regions of Ukraine, including the Lviv, Zakarpattia and Chernivtsi regions. I managed to visit the latter two logistics hubs as part of a working trip to these regions.

In these areas, humanitarian aid was sorted and sent to the regions in the most urgent need.

Humanitarian centres were also established in each region of Ukraine. Round-the-clock communication between regions, identification and processing of daily needs were ensured.

The Government also simplified the conditions for importing humanitarian aid through customs. We are still doing our best to ensure that humanitarian aid is delivered to Ukraine uninterrupted and unhindered.

Listing all the achievements is difficult because, from the first day of the full-scale invasion of Russia, we work 24/7 to help our regions and people.

 

Did many residents of the Kyiv region who have sheltered IDPs apply for compensation for utility bills?

Ukrainians and the Kyiv region in particular residents show complete unity and mutual support. Most people who have sheltered IDPs for free do not intend to apply for compensation for utility bills.

To date, more than 700 households in the Kyiv region sheltering 2,200 IDPs free of charge have applied for compensation. However, there are, in fact, many more. The registration process is still ongoing.

In addition, we believe that due to the de-occupation of the region, these figures will increase and will be higher next month.

 

Running water, heating and gas supply. How do you address these issues that are so important for the population of the Kyiv region?

In general, in those municipalities where there were active hostilities, water, heating and gas supply are still being restored. The enemy chose the tactics of destruction, especially the destruction of the critical urban infrastructure.

As for the water supply. The greatest damage to water, heating and sewerage facilities was inflicted in the Irpin, Bucha, Borodianka and Makariv municipalities. In total, 16 settlements with a population of 100,491 were left without water.

For most settlements that are currently without a centralised water supply, the reason is the lack of electricity supply.

The electricity issue is difficult, as 314 settlements in the region are cut off, and more than 116,000 consumers have been left without electricity. And it takes time to fully restore it.

Unfortunately, the municipalities that were the first to be hit by the Russians were forced to cut off heating prematurely, and many boiler rooms in the region were damaged or destroyed.

Gas supply systems were also damaged. 76 settlements and 128,469 consumers were left without a gas supply.

Emergency recovery is ongoing daily and takes time. After all, before starting it, the facilities need to be cleared of mines.

 

How do you assess the effectiveness of the heads of municipalities?

Today, in addition to defending their communities, the heads of municipalities are fighting for the integrity of our state, for our victory! Some of them were ordered to remove the Ukrainian flag from the building and surrender the city. There are those who, for refusing to cooperate with the enemy, were taken prisoner, risking their lives. Unfortunately, there are those who were killed by the occupiers for their fortitude.

Local authorities today have the courage and strength to fight against the enemy, the ability to work for the good of their community, as well as the full range of powers to make urgent decisions.

Decentralisation and horizontal links between mayors have shown their strength and resilience in wartime. The heads of our municipalities are true heroes!