Instead of enjoying the results of a decentralization reform and studying in new schools and kindergartens, today 1.5 thousand school-age children and about 300 preschoolers in the town of Avdiyivka in Donbas are suffering attacks by the Russian forces. It is very disturbing for all of us that Ukraine is pursuing reforms, while a large number of people in the East of the country remain outside through the Russian aggression. It is a crime against future generations of Ukrainians. We accuse the Russian Federation in hostile activities, it waged in Ukraine. Vice Prime Minister/ Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities of Ukraine Hennadii Zubko announced today at a meeting of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

He told the European community that the ceasefire hasn’t been restored in Avdiyivka, the town remains without electricity, and it’s impossible to start repair activities.

"Ukraine, being actually in a state of war, carries out reforms that demonstrate the result. Today Ukraine is a European, optimistic country. 75% of Ukrainian citizens support European integration, 95% of the population of Avdiyivka are expecting peace and believe that ony peace can enable them not to flee their homes, to live in their hometown, to prolong teaching children", said the Vice Prime Minister.

Hennadii Zubko thanked Secretary-General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland for the public statement in which he called for immediate cessation of shelling in Donbas and strict compliance with the Minsk agreements to restore the ceasefire.

As was reported earlier Hennadii Zubko made a report regarding the implementation of the decentralization reform and its progress during the event titled “Decentralization in Ukraine: Achievements and Perspectives” that took place at the Council of Europe in Strasbourgh.

Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe Andreas Kiefer; Sergiy Kyslytsya, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Vyacheslav Nehoda, First Deputy Minister for Regional Development, Building, Housing and Utilities of Ukraine; as well as Daniel Popescu, the Council of Europe Special Advisor to the Government of Ukraine on Decentralization, were also among speakers at the event. It was organised upon the initiative of the Permanent Representation of Ukraine at the Council of Europe.