“Restoration
Is Part of
Our Resistance”
How Ukraine is Bringing Irpin Back to Life
Before
After
The complex of residential buildings “Phavoryt” in the city of Irpin, Kyiv region.
Photos: Mykola Ilinov
“I will be the last to leave my building. My neighbors trust me,” said Olha Verega, the Head of the Homeowners’ Association of an apartment complex in Irpin, a small city on the outskirts of Kyiv. Her building, situated in a quiet neighborhood, was hit 27 times during an artillery attack in the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which severely damaged the roof, destroyed many windows, and completely burned down some apartments. Since then, 80 percent of residents have decided to leave. Olha and a few neighbors, however, stayed behind and ended up taking shelter in the building’s power room for 31 days.
Irpin, liberated on March 28, 2022, tells the story of the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the country’s brave resistance. Last year, Irpin’s streets were deserted and building facades showed the scars of relentless attacks. Today, with 85 percent of the city’s population having returned to the city, the Ukrainian government, local authorities, volunteers, and the international community have initiated a restoration process that has begun to repair most of the damage.
149,300
residential buildings
330
hospitals
595
administrative buildings
3,000
schools and university buildings
have sustained damage as of January 2023*
*Source: The Kyiv School of Economics
(Before) The complex of residential buildings “Phavoryt” in the city of Irpin, Kyiv region. Photo: Mykola Ilinov
(Before) The complex of residential buildings “Phavoryt” in the city of Irpin, Kyiv region. Photo: Mykola Ilinov
(After) The complex of residential buildings “Phavoryt” in the city of Irpin, Kyiv region. Photo: Mykola Ilinov
(After) The complex of residential buildings “Phavoryt” in the city of Irpin, Kyiv region. Photo: Mykola Ilinov
Irpin, a symbol of Ukraine’s reconstruction effort
Standing on ground pockmarked by artillery shells, dozens of workers were making repairs to Olha’s building. Around them, cranes and bulldozers were busy fixing roads and buildings. It is hard to believe that this was happening on the city’s Mineralna Street, a stone’s throw away from the bloody battles fought over a few months last year.
The Kyiv School of Economics has reported that, as of January 2023, a total of 149,300 residential buildings, 330 hospitals, 595 administrative buildings, and over 3,000 schools and university buildings have sustained damage. More than 2.4 million Ukrainians have seen their homes damaged or destroyed.
In Irpin alone, more than 1,060 buildings were damaged and 115 of them completely destroyed. Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction needs have reached $411 billion, according to the World Bank. However, this number is set to increase due to the continued bombings and a lack of reliable data being available for the occupied territories.
While the Ukrainian government collaborates with international partners to start “the biggest reconstruction since World War II,” everyday Ukrainians are working diligently to restore their homes. “Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we collected money to install solar panels and reduce our energy bills during the heating season. But when we saw what happened to our homes after the Russians left, we decided to spend this money on repairing the roof,” said Olha. With winter approaching, this would give residents more time to find a longer-term solution.
The “Restoration of homes” program, implemented by Ukraine’s Energy Efficiency Fund in cooperation with IFC and the European Union (EU), turned out to be the right solution. Since November 2022, it has allowed homeowners’ associations from the Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions to apply for financial aid to fix damaged roofs, windows, facades, and engineering systems. After an inspection and obtaining a defective certificate, which is an on-site inspection of the damaged property, Olha applied for financing to carry out the construction works needed to allow residents to return. As of June 2023, the building has been completely restored at a cost of $230,000, with 70 percent of the amount disbursed immediately upon approval to facilitate a quick reconstruction effort.
Time is of the essence
When Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announced in July 2022 that reconstruction efforts would begin before the end of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many were skeptical. The idea of restoring a country while its cities were still under attack seemed dangerous. And yet, the EU reached out to IFC to develop a crisis response package that could help Ukrainian families immediately.
“The European Union stands with Ukrainian people, offering unwavering support in every way. We are committed to aiding the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the residential buildings, damaged during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. IFC has remained a steadfast ally, and the Energy Efficiency Fund is representing one of the EU’s most significant endeavors in Ukraine since its very inception in 2018,” said Chloe Allio, Head of Section Operations – Economic Cooperation, Energy, Infrastructure and Environment, EU Delegation to Ukraine.
She added: “The initial pilot stage of the EEF’s ‘Restoration of Homes’ program is helping now over 8,300 households to restore and live better. At its full stage, the European Union pledged a devoted allocation of 25 million euros for Restoration of Homes projects across Ukraine.”
IFC’s partnership with the EU began in 2019 with the launch of the Energy Efficiency Fund, which supports the co-financing of energy efficient restorations across Ukraine. To quickly help distressed homeowners, IFC offered to repurpose €25 million of its program to restore their homes.
“We are committed to working with the EU and other development partners to unlock the financing needed to support critical infrastructure,” said Rana Karadsheh, IFC’s Regional Director for Europe. “We have a strong pipeline of projects and are ready to provide technical assistance and financing to restore people’s homes, restore essential services, help businesses continue working, and support Ukraine on its path to EU accession.”
(Before) The complex of residential buildings “Dzherelo 50” in the city of Irpin, Kyiv region. Photo: Mykola Ilinov
(Before) The complex of residential buildings “Dzherelo 50” in the city of Irpin, Kyiv region. Photo: Mykola Ilinov
(Now) The complex of residential buildings “Dzherelo 50” in the city of Irpin, Kyiv region. Photo: Mykola Ilinov
(Now) The complex of residential buildings “Dzherelo 50” in the city of Irpin, Kyiv region. Photo: Mykola Ilinov
Currently, a €5 million pilot phase, targeting around 70 to 80 houses, is being rolled out in the Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Chernihiv, Mykolayiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions. As of the end of July 2023, 42 multi-family buildings have been repaired, restoring housing for 9,405 people who live in these buildings. The project runs through September 2025 and expects to achieve its overall target for crisis response activities of having 155 buildings restored and re-purposed providing housing and access to shelter for 33,000 people in Ukraine.
The country is on the way of what world leaders describe as the largest, and perhaps most expensive, restoration process in history. For Olha, the process means a new chapter of her life. “My city has changed beyond recognition. New buildings are erected in place of the destroyed ones. Tulips bloom where fighting used to rage. Life here is in full swing again,” she said.
Published in September 2023
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