28 February 2025
(PHOTO: Nikcenter)
The reconstruction of Mykolaiv is moving very slowly due to a lack of funds in the budget, causing numerous delays in housing repairs. Local officials are facing criticism for spending money on unnecessary projects instead of quickly restoring destroyed homes.
According to an investigation by Nikcenter, Mykolaiv continues to restore destroyed housing after Russian aggression, but the pace of reconstruction remains extremely slow.
As of the beginning of 2025, nearly 100 apartment buildings in the city have been severely damaged, and while most of them require only cosmetic repairs, dozens of homes need major reconstruction. At the same time, residents of the destroyed buildings have been waiting for their homes to be restored for three years, and every year it takes longer and longer.
In particular, the house at 70 Myru Avenue and other houses damaged by rocket attacks are in the queue for major repairs, but the expected time frame for restoration is three years. City officials claim that the lack of funds in the budget is the main reason for the delays. However, amid claims of a lack of funding, city residents criticize local officials for their luxurious lifestyles, spending money on unnecessary projects, and unjustified overpayments for reconstruction.
In addition, the reconstruction of Mykolaiv was made possible only thanks to international donors and support from the state budget, but this is still not enough to cover all costs. Officials report a large number of successful tenders, but the community doubts the effectiveness of their work, as the budget constantly lacks funds for the most basic necessities - housing repairs for people who have been left homeless.
At the end of December, local authorities summarized the results of infrastructure and housing restoration in Mykolaiv region in 2024. UAH 1.28 billion was allocated to repair roads and bridges, of which UAH 347 million was used to restore bridge structures. A total of 243 kilometers of local roads have been repaired, five bridges have been completed, and construction of four more is underway.
The region continues to implement large-scale projects to restore water supply and strengthen defense capabilities. At the same time, a significant part of the contracts were distributed without open tenders, and among the contractors were companies that had previously been involved in criminal proceedings for embezzlement of budget funds.
As of January 2025, reconstruction projects worth almost UAH 38 billion have been planned in the region, but only about 15% of them have been funded.
Анна Бальчінос