Today, 19% of the territory of Ukraine is under occupation. Hundreds of thousands of objects have been damaged or destroyed. The most difficult situation is for communities near the front line, which is why the government has allocated more than UAH 3 billion to restore infrastructure and everything necessary to save lives there. This was announced by Oleksiy Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction of Ukraine and Minister of Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, at the International Cohesion Forum, reports UNN.
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"Today, 19% of our territory is under occupation. Hundreds of thousands of objects have been damaged or destroyed. Millions of Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes," Kuleba said.
He added that despite this, reconstruction is underway, the economy is working, and our country continues to resist. The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that our military is doing the impossible for our country.
However, there are citizens who are having the most difficult time today - the residents of communities near the front line.
"There are no guarantees that the school year will start on time, that there will be electricity tomorrow, or that the road will remain passable. Brigades are repairing roads and electricity under constant shelling, and local government employees manage to evacuate, restore communications, and find fuel for hospitals in one day," Kuleba said.
According to him, it was for such communities that the government decided on systematic financial support. Today, it is about UAH 10 million for each frontline community.
"Last week, UAH 1.5 billion was allocated, and yesterday another UAH 1.8 billion was allocated at a government meeting. On average, about UAH 10 million per community. These are targeted funds for shelters, special equipment, for infrastructure reconstruction, everything necessary to save lives," the official explained.
He also stressed that local self-government remains a key element of state resilience, which is why the decentralization reform continues and a mechanism for direct interaction between communities is currently being created.
"The "Shoulder to Shoulder" state program has brought together 450 communities from different regions today. They work together, restore social facilities, organize cultural events, and help each other on an ongoing basis," Kuleba added.