Russian troops damaged over 210,000 buildings in Ukraine during full-scale war – NYT
More than 210,000 buildings in Ukraine have been damaged since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. About half of them are in the east of the country, reported The New York Times.
The newspaper’s journalists, together with scientists, analyzed satellite images of every settlement, street and damaged building during the two years of the all-out war.
Journalists write that no city in Ukraine has suffered as much destruction as the temporarily occupied Mariupol of Donetsk Oblast.
Kharkiv, Rubizhne, Bakhmut, Maryinka, Irpin, Zaporizhzhia, Orihiv, Kherson, Nova Kakhovka, Oleshky, Port Reni, and Izmail are also among the cities that are now destroyed or have suffered significant damage.
Estimates show that 106 hospitals and clinics, 109 religious buildings (churches, temples, mosques, monasteries), and 708 educational institutions (schools, colleges, universities) were damaged or destroyed in Ukraine, although these objects are protected by the Geneva Conventions.
The piece indicates that these estimates are conservative and do not take into account the occupied Crimea or parts of western Ukraine, where accurate data were not available. There, it is assumed that the true scale of destruction is greater, and it continues to grow.
Reconstruction of Ukraine
According to the government, the needs for reconstruction already amount to almost $486 billion. Of these, $15 billion need to be spent on urgent recovery.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says that the need for reconstruction has continued to grow over the past year. This is especially noticeable in the housing sector, where 10% of the entire housing stock was destroyed or damaged due to the Russian army.
Ukraine expects that the main resource for recovery will be the confiscation of frozen Russian assets. At the same time, the state cooperates with international partners and creates conditions for attracting private investments.