Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov Details the City's Wartime Struggle
In a stark assessment of the city's condition, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov outlined the severe challenges posed by relentless shelling, an energy crisis, and the need to support displaced persons and businesses. He revealed that over the past year, air raid sirens have sounded in Kharkiv for a total of 108 days. The scale of destruction is immense, with more than 10,000 residential buildings damaged to date—an increase of 2,000 from the previous year. While 4,000 of these have been repaired, over 40 are beyond salvage and must be demolished. Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, has endured some of the war's most intense bombardment due to its proximity to the Russian border.
Terekhov also noted that the national government has allocated over 2.5 billion hryvnias to purchase generators for seven regions, including Kharkiv Oblast, a critical measure to address the wartime energy shortage. To ensure continuity of education, the city now operates eight underground schools, with three more under construction.
The Role of the Association of Frontline Cities and Communities
The mayor emphasized the importance of the Association of Frontline Cities and Communities, founded by three communities and now comprising 300 communities from ten regions. These include Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk. Key advocacy initiatives from the Association are:
- Securing 64% of the Personal Income Tax (PIT) for frontline communities;
- Providing payments of 3,000 hryvnias per child for internally displaced families;
- Abolishing the cap on social payments for displaced persons.
Terekhov stressed that internally displaced persons (IDPs) who remain in Kharkiv and other frontline cities require a multifaceted support strategy. He highlighted the urgent need for prioritized funding for housing, rental assistance, support for rebuilding, access to healthcare, and help with employment. The mayor also expressed his view that establishing a new city military administration in Kharkiv is not advisable.
In recognition of his wartime leadership, President Zelenskyy awarded Ihor Terekhov the Order for Courage, 2nd Class, in December. Despite the dire circumstances, the mayor insists that municipal workers continue their duties to keep the city's infrastructure functioning.
'If our utility workers went to shelters, we would not preserve the system and the city would freeze,' he stated.
Terekhov further pointed to the economic strain on local enterprise, arguing that
'a 'torpedo' like the 20% VAT for small business completely destroys all our efforts,'underscoring the additional burdens faced by entrepreneurs.
The situation in Kharkiv remains critical, with constant shelling and power shortages severely disrupting daily life. State and organizational support is crucial for rebuilding infrastructure and aiding the displaced. Mayor Terekhov advocates for a comprehensive approach to the problems facing both IDPs and local businesses, which is vital for the city's economic recovery.