Statement by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal at a Government session

Distinguished colleagues! Fellow Ukrainians!

The terrorist attack by russia on the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant is one of the most heinous crimes in the modern history of mankind. We have yet to fully comprehend the consequences of this disaster. The situation is complex and requires us to take many steps in different directions. We need to coordinate, cooperate and mobilise all resources.

That is why today the Government of Ukraine is holding an offsite meeting in the Kherson region.

It is important for us to see the situation on the ground. Especially now that the water has started to recede. To talk to communities and people. This is the only way to understand the whole range of problems and make truly effective management decisions.

There are currently 13 evacuation centres in the region, 12 of which are in the regional centre. Rescuers in the Kherson region have already evacuated 2,700 people, including more than 300 children. In total, more than 3,700 people have been rescued from the flooded area. As of today, 39 settlements remain in the disaster area.

I would like to thank everyone who is helping the Kherson region. The State Emergency Service, police, volunteers and philanthropists. Our international partners who are actively involved in the process. 16 European countries and the European Commission have offered their support. NATO's emergency response mechanism has been activated. The World Food Programme, the United Nations Population Fund, the International Organization for Migration and many others are providing assistance. We appreciate and thank you for this solidarity and concern.

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At the last conference call on the aftermath of the terrorist attack at the Kakhovka HPP, I instructed to promptly create a register of affected communities. This will be the starting point for paying people assistance. The Head of the emergency response activities has already approved the list. A total of almost 200 settlements with a population of 1.4 million people have been included in the register. These are communities in Kherson, Mykolaiv and Dnipro regions.

Moreover, pursuant to the order of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, we have developed a mechanism for compensation for damaged and destroyed houses. The compensation mechanism will be similar to the eVidnovlennia programme. But, given the situation in the region, applications will be submitted through local governments. A person will choose one of two options. Either to buy another housing or to take money to repair or rebuild their own house.

We allocate now more than UAH 980 million from the Fund for the Elimination of the Consequences of Armed Aggression to carry out these payments.

We are also reinforcing Kherson region with specialists to carry out technical inspections of the affected housing. 10 regions of Ukraine will send 15 specialists each to the disaster area to conduct technical inspections of the affected housing. The sooner we record all the damage, the sooner people will receive compensation. I urge communities not to delay the formation of the relevant commissions.

In addition to compensation in the future, thousands of people need help here and now. Today, we are allocating UAH 560 million to pay one-time state aid to flood victims in the amount of UAH 5,000 per person. We are also instructing the Ministry of Social Policy, the Ministry of Reintegration and the Ministry of Economy to draft a decision on the procedure for using these funds as soon as possible. We want to start making these payments within a week. At the same time, we are holding talks with international humanitarian organisations on making similar payments.

Prior to this meeting, we also visited the village of Posad Pokrovske, one of the six settlements where we are implementing a comprehensive recovery programme under the Build Back Better principle. We are now considering the possibility of building housing for Ukrainians who lost their homes due to blowing up by the russians of the Kakhovka HPP dam within the city of Kherson for the residents of Kherson and in the region.

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We have to continue the reconstruction promptly not only in the flood zone but also in other regions.

Hence, today we allocate UAH 6.6 billion from the Fund for the Elimination of the Consequences of Armed Aggression to implement more than 150 projects in eight regions of Ukraine. These are repairs and construction of schools, kindergartens, hospitals, residential buildings, construction and reconstruction of water supply and sewage systems, heating networks, and drilling of artesian wells. In this way, we are giving a powerful impetus to rapid recovery in all war-affected regions.

By a separate resolution, the Government will allocate another UAH 4.4 billion in subventions to local budgets for the design, restoration, construction, and modernisation of social, cultural, and housing and communal facilities. This includes almost UAH 460 million for Kherson region and over UAH 190 million for Mykolaiv region.

We mobilise all efforts to rebuild. We help those who need it.

Glory to Ukraine!