Odesa Council Rejects University Aid Request Amid Ongoing Russian Attacks

Deputies of the Standing Committee on Planning, Budget and Finance of the Odesa City Council rejected a letter from Odesa National University "Odesa Polytechnic" requesting assistance from the city budget to help eliminate the consequences of the Russian Federation's attacks.

According to the chairman of the commission, Oleksiy Potapsky, the letter was sent by the rector of the university.

The amount requested by the university is 700 thousand hryvnias, but the problem, according to Oleksiy Potapsky, is not the amount of money, but the precedent.

"In our opinion, this is not our competence, a respected university has its own owner and we believe that it is the prerogative of the state to eliminate the consequences of the arrivals there, while we have many problems of our own in the city and cannot help everyone at the same time. In addition, there is the matter of precedent. If we start helping now, tomorrow other universities will start applying, and not only universities, but also commercial enterprises," the deputy noted.

The commission also rejected an appeal from a number of private businesses that suffered from Russian attacks. The entrepreneurs asked the session to consider the possibility of granting them land tax exemptions.

"Unfortunately, it is not our competence to provide tax benefits. Formally, we are considering it, but no decision has been made," Potapsky said.

The deputies advised the entrepreneurs to contact the tax inspectorate, reminding them that there is currently an effective mechanism for obtaining such benefits from the tax office.

Earlier, a residential complex at 3/1 Ovidiopolska Street, two buildings of which were damaged as a result of an enemy attack on November 9, 2024, will be restored at the expense of the city budget.

The building was damaged on the night of November 9, 2024. Then, as a result of an enemy attack, several high-rise buildings and private sector houses, as well as administrative buildings, warehouses and cars in one of Odesa's districts were damaged.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, on the night of November 9, the enemy attacked from the areas of Prymorsko-Akhtarsk and Orel with 51 Shahed attack UAVs and unidentified drones, and Odesa region became the epicenter of the attack. One person was killed and 13 others were wounded, including two children.

Кирило Бойко