Mayor: Reconstruction of Mykolaiv to cost at least $2.9 billion
Russia's destruction of the southern city of Mykolaiv will cost an estimated $2.9 billion to repair, Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych told reporters at the International Mayors Summit outside Chisinau, Moldova, on April 11.
The city authorities have mapped the damages to calculate the cost of reconstruction, but this figure "increases every day" due to constant bombardments, Senkevych said.
The estimated cost of the post-war recovery and reconstruction from the whole of Ukraine has risen to $486 billion over a 10-year period, the World Bank reported in February.
Denmark has prioritized specifically restoring Mykolaiv and the surrounding region as part of its policy of support to Ukraine, devoting 60% of its development aid to the region.
Mykolaiv had a pre-war population of 470,000 but now lies roughly 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of the front line, making the city and the surrounding region a target of Russian forces.
A Russian attack against Mykolaiv on April 11 killed four people and injured five others, and damaged residential buildings, industrial facilities, and cars.
When asked by the Kyiv Independent if the slow down in military aid from the West puts Mykolaiv in danger of a potential Russian offensive, Senkevych said that supplies of ammunition and weapons are "very important," but the "biggest asset that we are losing now is people."
"To create a tank, you need like eight months to a year, to create a rocket unit (you need) three months, but to create Ukrainian warrior, you need at least 18 years," Senkevych said.
No country can deliver personnel, Senkevych said, but more deliveries of military aid could save lives on the front line by ensuring Ukrainian soldiers are properly equipped.
Read also: Ukraine wants to make reconstruction transparent. Will it work?
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