Highlights: The war in Ukraine is far from over, and yet we must already think about rebuilding. The country has no choice, with 8 million refugees and 5 million displaced people. Last year, the UN launched a pilot project with the cities of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv. The goal is to anticipate the rebirth of Ukrainian cities. The work of reconstruction will begin in earnest after the end of the war. But feasibility studies, site planning, all that takes time. Sometimes more than the reconstruction itself.

War in Ukraine: a pilot project to anticipate the reconstruction of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv

The war in Ukraine is far from over, and yet we must already think about rebuilding. The country has no choice, with 8 million refugees and 5 million displaced people who will have to be rehoused. Last year, the UN launched a pilot project with the cities of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv, with the help of architect Norman Foster – who designed the Millau Viaduct. The goal is to anticipate the rebirth of Ukrainian cities

A Ukrainian soldier secures the area around the government headquarters of Mykolaiv Oblast after it was shelled by the Russian army, March 29, 2022. © Petros Giannakouris/AP

Text by: RFI Follow

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With our correspondent in Geneva, Jérémie Lanche

Oleksandr Syenkevich is a mayor on a mission: to raise money for the reconstruction of his city Mykolaiv and prepare future projects. Even if they will not be able to be launched for several months or even years. The city suffered more than 850 million euros in damage related to Russian bombing.

The work of reconstruction will begin in earnest after the end of the war. But feasibility studies, site planning, all that takes time. Sometimes more than the reconstruction itself. So, we must not waste time, "says the edile.

In the list of martyred cities of Ukraine, Kharkiv also occupies a special place. 50% of schools were destroyed or damaged. Nearly 150,000 people live on the streets. Olga Demianenko works in the municipality and she knows that some construction sites cannot wait for the fighting to end.

Much of the damage is to heating and water supply systems. We have to fix them every day. Because if we don't, no one could live in Kharkiv," she said.

But even if peace were for tomorrow, rebuilding Ukraine will take time. If only because the soil of the cities and the countryside is riddled with explosive remnants of war. It will also require a lot of money: 383 billion euros, says the World Bank. That's more than twice Ukraine's GDP.

>> Read also: Reconstruction of Ukraine: "We must avoid unbridled reurbanization"

War in Ukraine: a pilot project to anticipate the reconstruction of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv

War in Ukraine: a pilot project to anticipate the reconstruction of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv

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