MELITOPOL, February 18. /TASS/. The Ukrainian armed forces have been constantly attacking construction workers, electricians, as well as medical and emergency workers by drones in the Zaporozhye Region’s peaceful settlements, hindering the rebuilding of the already destroyed by Ukrainian strikes social facilities, Governor Yevgeny Balitsky told TASS in an interview.
According to the regional head, the enemy primarily uses cannon artillery to shell Vasilyevka, Kamenka-Dneprovskaya, Energodar, Tokmak, and Pologi. "Damages occur frequently. We are conducting recovery efforts via the committee, on a government order. We have special funds for it. I would refrain from saying that it has always been done properly and promptly everywhere, since not everyone agrees to work near the frontline. And the worst thing is that the builders are now very held back by the presence of drones, which are very active within a 10-kilometer [6.2 miles] area. As of now, the enemy has been indiscriminately attacking the builders, electricians, rescue service workers, and ambulances," he said.
The governor emphasized that despite all of this, the work on rebuilding social facilities is ongoing and will be continued, just like the compensation payments to those who have lost their homes or property in Ukrainian attacks. "On the decision of the government and the president’s instructions, compensations are all being paid there as intended. Then again, people do not always file for them. Then they come and, naturally, there are, unfortunately, disagreements sometimes. But what has not been done in 2023 cannot be done in 2024. Often, we cannot establish the facts anymore," the head of the Zaporozhye Region said.
Those who were absent from their homes for two years also face problems, he noted. "People are returning to their homes. Often, their homes turn out to be robbed, to put it mildly. You know, a home left for two years. Mostly, people come and say ‘where is my home?’ And usually, some neighbors already live there or someone has already stolen something from there. Up to roofs being dismantled," the governor said.
He admitted that the process was "challenging," but the compensations are being paid properly to those in the region who "file their documents in accordance with the law.".