The owners of houses damaged by missile strikes cannot wait for international aid, because the houses must be saved before winter comes.
KIEV The worker couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw cat tracks in the dust. No one can survive in a cold, empty apartment for more than a month, he thought.
The worker contacted the president of the residents’ association, who asked the residents about the cat. A man whose apartment was almost completely destroyed said it might be his cat Lesja.
The cat was finally lured out to people with treats and caught. It was in surprisingly good condition considering the conditions. Now the residents are hoping for the same miraculous rescue for their house as in Lesja’s case.
The house had an opening the length of eight apartments
The 27-story residential building was completed in 2015. Mostly representatives of the Kyivan middle class moved into it: IT experts, financial administration assistants and freelancers. For many young families, it was their first home.
Everything changed at eight in the morning on the third day of the war. Some of the residents were in a civilian shelter at the neighboring school and some in their own homes. The Russian missile hit between the 17th and 21st floors of the building. It cut a corner of the house the size of eight apartments.
– It was lucky in the accident that no one died in the impact and the house remained standing. The rescuers installed additional supports at the point of impact to prevent the house from collapsing. We quickly made a construction estimate and a safety survey and were told that the house can be saved, says the president of the residents’ association Elena Chumakova.
After that, the homeowners’ fight to save their houses began. They collected around 50,000 euros, with which they were able to clear the affected part and repair the HVAC systems. In Ukraine, this amount corresponds to the monthly earnings of about a hundred people.
About a month after the attack, the first residents started to return to the house. Currently, about half of the 400 residents live in the building. Some have gone to other parts of Ukraine, some abroad, but there are also those who have nowhere to go.
First, residential buildings and schools are repaired
The same situation is familiar in many Ukrainian cities. Houses that have not been completely destroyed are now in dire need of repair, as the cold may be their fate.
– If you don’t have time to repair and seal the house by winter, it will get too cold, water and cold will destroy the structures and the house will no longer be able to be saved, says Elena Chumakova.
At the beginning of the war, Ukrainian cities did not have the resources to repair damaged houses, and repairs could not even begin until the hostilities were over. Now, when Kyiv is relatively safe again, the contracts have started.
– We have directed budget funds to repair 360 such buildings that have suffered destruction as a result of the Russian attack, is told from the Kyiv City Construction Agency.
According to the agency, a total of 636 infrastructure sites have been damaged in the Ukrainian capital during the war. Residential buildings, schools and health centers are the first to be repaired.
Reconstruction has already started in at least eleven residential buildings, including the house where Elena Chumakova lives. A tower crane is now being installed next to it.
– For two months, the floors will continue to be demolished, after which new empty floors will be built for us. The city is only responsible for building the apartments, our responsibility is to make them livable, says Chumakova.
This week in Lugano, Switzerland, dozens of countries, international organizations and companies have agreed on post-war reconstruction support for Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities estimate that they need at least 750 billion dollars.
Of this amount, at least 100 billion dollars is to be used to repair, among other things, damage caused to the building stock. Subsidies will start flowing to Ukraine only from next year.
After the initial shock subsides, you can help others
– We met among the residents in March. Everyone was short and confused, as if they were big children, recalls the resident of the house Tamara Arevshatyan.
Then he got the idea of starting a charity foundation. This is how SaveMyHome was born.
– I have worked in financial administration for more than 20 years, so I knew that the foundation is the best solution in terms of taxation.
In the beginning, the idea was to collect money only to save one’s own house, but it soon became clear that many other homeless people also need support.
– Not everyone can cope with fundraising challenges. We are mostly young people and we know the social media channels, but the elderly people who lived in Butša or Irpini don’t even know what Facebook is, regrets Arevšatjan.
He says that only when he himself has sighed after the first shock can he help others. The president of the residents’ association, Elena Chumakova, on the other hand, says that the Russian missile strikes did not succeed in discouraging the Ukrainians.
– They are burying our entire country in fire so that we would feel fear and bend to their demands. But we are not afraid. They will achieve nothing here, because we are united in the face of the enemy. We will do everything for our country and our victory.