How Zaporizhzhya Prepared for Winter
No matter how well protected a central heating system may be, no city can shield it from the consequences of attacks that Russia is capable of carrying out, Regina Kharchenko believes. That is why Zaporizhzhya is also building a decentralised system of boiler houses and heating substations using cogeneration units.
She also emphasises that alternative power supply systems require large amounts of fuel. As an example, Regina Kharchenko says that the municipal water utility needs 30 tonnes of diesel fuel to operate for one day. Physically storing such a quantity of fuel, given the frequent attacks on petrol stations, is a challenge for any local authority.
“There are far too many challenges like these. So, the overall message is this: is the system ready? Yes. Is it protected? Yes. But whether that is enough to ensure that everyone in Zaporizhzhya has heating and water is something perhaps even God does not know,” the acting mayor noted.
Resilience Plan and State Assistance
The Resilience Plan for Zaporizhzhya differs somewhat from those for cities that are not located in frontline areas, Regina Kharchenko emphasised.
“Since the summer, the security situation here has deteriorated significantly. In one district of Zaporizhzhya, all the main streets are covered with anti-drone nets. They have become tunnels. A year ago, we could not even have imagined anything like this.
“So, for us, the Resilience Plan is also a local protection plan covering several areas: anti-drone nets, an increase in the number of modular shelters, and the application of protective film to vehicles, municipal facilities, hospitals and other buildings,” the acting mayor said.
Without state support, Kharchenko notes, no frontline city can afford to implement such measures on its own. This is not only because of their high cost, but also because they require specialised professionals.
“The only thing is that the regional military administration was responsible for these issues and their coordination, but all our municipal enterprises and departments that needed to be involved were involved,” Kharchenko says.
According to her, the Resilience Plan has not yet been fully implemented, but work has slowed due to the government’s suspension of capital expenditure (the reason being a lack of funds in the budget. — Ed.).
“And this goes beyond the Resilience Plan. I am talking about the critical need for any city to cover routine and urgent expenses, as the prime minister put it. My municipal enterprise, Elektrotrans, which operates all public transport, was unable to sign a new fuel supply contract for a week. A whole week. No one even bid in the tender because they knew the local government would not be able to pay — the Treasury was not processing the payments. The city had only four days’ worth of fuel left,” the head of Zaporizhzhya said.
“I very much hope that all the processes related to receiving international aid and voting in the Verkhovna Rada will come together like pieces of a puzzle, and that by early December we will finally return to a normal system of payments and funding for routine expenditure,” Regina Kharchenko added.
“For Zaporizhzhya, the emergency recovery fund is also critically important. I cannot visit someone whose roof is half gone or whose windows and doors have all been blown out after a shelling attack and say, ‘I’m sorry, we were unable to procure building materials through a tender, so the municipal enterprise Zaporizhremservis will not come and carry out any repairs. Or it will not come because there is no fuel. That is simply unacceptable.’”
Overall, Kharchenko believes that frontline cities need somewhat greater attention from the state because they face more security challenges directly linked to their very survival.
“If there are not enough shelters, adequate protection, anti-drone defences and so on, people will simply leave. If we are talking about preserving lives in frontline areas and maintaining a strong, robust rear, with logistics and good hospitals nearby, including for our defenders, then frontline areas definitely need greater assistance,” the head of Zaporizhzhya concluded. She added, however, that her city had not been neglected by the government.
Threat to Zaporizhzhya’s Bridges
The Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP), which also serves as a road bridge connecting the two banks of Zaporizhzhya, has been attacked with 60 missiles during Russia’s full-scale invasion. In March 2024, Regina Kharchenko said, the road surface was damaged.
“Everything has been restored. Experts say it cannot be destroyed by anything coming from the sky. It would have to be blown up from within. Repair work is currently under way on one of its sections,” the acting mayor said.
Whereas the HPP itself was previously the main target, guided aerial bombs have recently been directed at other bridges as well, including newer ones built shortly before 2022, she noted. If Russian forces critically damage any of them, the city will consider establishing pontoon crossings, Regina Kharchenko said.
How Businesses Operate in Zaporizhzhya
The local authorities do not have any “super-programmes” to support businesses, the head of Zaporizhzhya acknowledged. There are programmes that partially reimburse small and large businesses for the cost of alternative energy sources. The city has also joined the government’s programme providing insurance against military risks for businesses, covering 50% of the initial premium.
“Do you know how many people have come to us? None,” Regina Kharchenko said. Her position is that businesses should not be hindered and should be provided with clear communication and a level playing field.
“The first thing I did when I took office [as acting mayor — Ed.] was say, ‘Please, bring up all the applications from entrepreneurs who wanted to lease land plots.’ The number of contracts has increased sevenfold over these three years. That is what supporting businesses looks like,” she said.
However, the deteriorating security situation is also affecting the ability of businesses to operate in the city.
“Since the summer, almost all our large shopping centres have been knocked out. Large retailers and retail chains have been hit. Silpo is considering leaving the city altogether — staying is no longer profitable for the company, given the enormous losses it has suffered.
I think we will move underground because we can see that it works. Underground schools, underground kindergartens, underground hospitals. People can continue living a more or less normal life there. If we need to build underground shopping centres, we will have to think of something,” the acting mayor said.