“We’re bringing life back to Luhansk” – Deputy Head of Luhansk regional military-civilian administration

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Kyiv, 22 October, 2015 – Over 7000 buildings have been damaged and about 500 infrastructure objects and residential houses have been ruined in the course of military operations in Luhansk region. Such data were made public by the Deputy Head of Luhansk regional military-civilian administration Yelisaveta Pushko-Tsybuliak via Skype at Ukraine Crisis Media Centre in the framework of the pilot project «Spokesman of peaceful life». According to her, there are 315 social sphere objects and about 50 roads that are currently operating in Luhansk region. These data demonstrate that nearly half of the ruined infrastructure is being gradually brought back to normal operational conditions.

«Total losses that Luhansk region has suffered amount to nearly 5 bln UAH. We have been gradually bringing the region back to civilian life. Funds have been allocated from local and state budgets to rebuild residential houses and infrastructure objects. We have also gathered support from volunteers and Ukrainian and international charitable institutions», – Yelisaveta Pushko-Tsybuliak has pointed out. According to the data presented by the Deputy Head of Luhansk regional military-civilian administration, there have been 186 mln UAH from the local and municipal budgets and 145 mln UAH from the state budget allocated for the reconstruction of buildings. The help of volunteers and civil activists has amounted to 101 mln UAH. «We have managed to generate a detailed plan for the reconstruction of Luhansk region. At present Luhansk military-civilian administration has been working on calculating losses and estimating costs necessary for the total reconstruction of the region. Owing to the joint efforts of the administration and volunteers we have succeeded in the complete restoration of the damaged roofs and windows in the buildings so that the dwellers can make it though the winter», – Yelisaveta Pushko-Tsybuliak commented. She also emphasised that in the districts that have suffered the most from the military operations – Stanytsia Luhanska, Novoaydarskyi and Popasnyanskyi – it has been possible to restore all educational institution buildings and to re-launch the educational process. Besides, all kindergartens, first aid medical posts and social welfare institutions have been rebuilt as well.

A pastor-volunteer Petr Dudnik has also joined in the re-building of Luhansk region. «Our team of volunteers has restored roofs in 132 houses and installed windows in 190 houses in Slovyansk. There have been three roofs in private houses rebuilt in Lisichansk, and in Popasna and Zolotyi we are now building 10 totally new houses»,-  the pastor-volunteer informed about his activity. Since the beginning of military operations, Petr Dudnik summarised, civil activists and volunteers have restored 198 buildings and built nine from scratch.

During the military fighting in Luhansk region, one fifth of residents were left roofless. Every second hospital and educational institution has been damaged. Overall more than 200000 people had to flee from Luhansk region, which is nearly 1/10th of its total population.