Statement by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at Government session

Good afternoon, dear colleagues, fellow Ukrainians.

Today, together with our colleagues, we are working in Kharkiv region and in the heroic city of Kharkiv. The main theme of the trip is recovery.

This year, we are launching an urgent recovery in five priority areas: rebuilding the energy sector, housing, demining, critical and social infrastructure, and support for the private sector to revive the economy.

Today we are talking about challenges, problems and prospects. However, we have solutions that will speed up the recovery.

Firstly, we have instructed to create the positions of deputy ministers or deputy heads of the regional military administrations in charge of recovery in a number of ministries and 11 regions. These are the ministries that implement recovery projects and the 11 regions that have suffered the most from the war, including Kharkiv.

russian terrorists have caused considerable destruction in Ukraine. In order to restore everything quickly and efficiently, we need a new recovery architecture. We already have a Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration, and the relevant Agency has been established. Now we are introducing the positions of deputy for recovery in ministries and local authorities. This will speed up the process of project preparation and improve the quality of these projects.

At one of the previous Government meetings, we launched a pilot project on the comprehensive restoration of six settlements. One of them is the village of Tsyrkuny in Kharkiv region. A year ago, in May, Ukrainian troops liberated this settlement. Today we visited Tsyrkuny. We talked to residents of the hromada. We are preparing a joint reconstruction plan. We see that people are coming back, working and planning. The Government will help both at the community and household level.

We have already launched a major eVidnovlennia programme. This is financial assistance for the repair of homes damaged by the hostilities. Where it is possible to restore houses, we will help with repairs. We are talking about the possibility of receiving up to UAH 200,000 for construction materials or repair services. As of this morning, we have already accepted 5,575 applications under the eVidnovlennia programme. This is in just two days of the programme’s operation. I am confident that this project will become a good example of how reconstruction can be carried out quickly and efficiently.

As for the families who have carried out repairs themselves, we are working on a solution to provide compensation. The Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration, the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, and the State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development have been tasked with this. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has set a clear task: to ensure equality in the provision of assistance.

The next programme in the housing sector will introduce certificates for those whose homes have been completely destroyed and cannot be repaired. We are also working on the details of this project.

One of the areas most affected by russian terror is the energy sector. The damage is enormous. We have seen the destruction with our own eyes. We talked to power engineers about their needs. We will help ensure that everything works properly until the next winter.

At the meeting, we will now take a decision to expand the 5-7-9 concessional lending programme. It will now be available to CHPPs and TPPs to help them restore equipment damaged by the fighting.

We have also started reconstruction of heat supply facilities and networks in Kharkiv region and four other regions. We are preparing pilot projects to decentralise the energy system. We are looking for resources and opportunities to do everything in time for the next heating season.

We also have decisions on reconstruction on our agenda. Within the framework of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s United24 platform, a new fundraising activity will be launched to support humanitarian demining. Today we will officially approve this at the level of amendments to the Presidential Decree.

Together with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, we are preparing a project to restore the railways. We have decided to attract EUR 200 million from the EBRD for Ukrzaliznytsia. These funds will be used to purchase equipment needed to restore railway corridors with the EU, improve passenger transport and purchase additional locomotives.

We continue to support the regions by allocating funds to compensate for utilities consumed by IDPs housed in state-owned and municipal buildings. We are allocating a further UAH 220 million for this purpose. We are helping those who help Ukrainians who have been forced to leave their homes because of the war.

Today, we also visited the Tsyrkuny Lyceum. Work is underway to restore the building and construct a new shelter. The children are eager to study. Many families are ready to return once they understand that education is possible in a safe environment. So this is a project with special responsibility and special control by the Government.

At one of our previous meetings, we allocated UAH 2.5 billion in additional subventions. UAH 1 billion for the purchase of buses for schools. Another UAH 1.5 billion for the organisation and construction of bomb shelters for educational institutions. Kharkiv region will receive the largest sum of all regions for such projects – UAH 225 million. That is, the resources have been provided. We expect the local authorities, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science, to do everything quickly and efficiently.

We are doing our best to simultaneously implement hundreds of programmes and projects in all priority areas of recovery. We are beginning to rebuild Ukraine. We are working for victory.

Thank you for your attention.

Glory to Ukraine!