"Unbreakable Business" program launched in Kherson until 2028

The Kherson City Territorial Community has approved the Unbreakable Business program for 2026-2028. The program aims to preserve and restore business in times of war, create jobs and support the economy of the frontline community.

The relevant order was signed by the head of the Kherson City Military Administration Yaroslav Shanko.

The program is scheduled to run until December 31, 2028. Funding will be provided from the local budget and other sources authorized by law. UAH 1.516 million has been allocated for the activities each year. The document was developed by the Department of Economics and Investments of the City Council.

The explanatory part of the document states that local businesses in Kherson are facing unprecedented challenges. Entrepreneurs are facing constant shelling, mining, destruction of critical infrastructure, population decline due to evacuation, lack of staff and financial resources, and a drop in purchasing power.

According to the program, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 389 legal entities have ceased operations in the Kherson community, 110 of them in 2025 alone. Also, 7,984 individual entrepreneurs closed, including 1,896 individual entrepreneurs in 2025. At the same time, as of October 1, 2025, 21,597 legal entities and 18,426 individual entrepreneurs were registered for tax purposes.

The structure of small and medium-sized businesses in the community remains uneven. Almost 80% of business entities are individualentrepreneurs. Most entrepreneurs work in trade and services. Industry and construction account for about 3.15% of businesses, although the construction industry plays a key role in restoring damaged infrastructure. Education, healthcare, and agriculture together account for about 3.67%, with investment in these sectors severely limited due to the fighting.

Despite the difficult situation, business remains an important source of revenue for the community. In January-September 2025, entrepreneurs paid UAH 633.2 million in taxes, which is 47.24% of all tax revenues of the KhMTG, which totaled UAH 1.34 billion. The largest share of revenues came from individual entrepreneurs - almost 33%, the manufacturing sector - 24.6%, and trade - over 9%.

The volume of industrial products sold in the community in January-August 2025 amounted to UAH 2.16 billion, which is 7.8% more than in the same period in 2024. Energy and manufacturing remain the main areas of economic activity, forming the basic demand and supporting economic activity.

In agriculture, the key factor was the demining of more than 5,441 hectares of land, which is about 26% of contaminated land. The resumption of sowing operations should ensure harvests in 2025-2026 and a partial restoration of the community's food production.

In addition, according to the regional employment center, in January-October 2025, 25 microgrants were provided in the Kherson community for starting or developing a business for a total of UAH 7.73 million. One grant of UAH 250 thousand was also awarded to a combatant. The support was directed to businesses in the areas of trade, catering, vehicle repair, manufacturing, and services.

In addition, in the 2025-2026 academic year, six educational institutions in Kherson region joined the international entrepreneurship program from Junior Achievement Ukraine. As part of this initiative, students learn practical skills in business planning, marketing, financial literacy, and teamwork, as well as the ability to create and develop their own educational business projects.

Анна Бальчінос