Kyiv could have prepared better for winter, and government is once again helping to protect energy infrastructure, - Koretskyi
Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi believes that the authorities in Kyiv could have prepared better for winter, and that the government is now itself completing the construction of some energy facilities, as well as their protection and backup systems, because "there is no time left to wait". Discussions were also held with the city authorities regarding the evacuation of Kyiv residents with reduced mobility.
He said as much in an interview with BBC Ukraine, according to Censor.NET.
How the capital prepared
Koretskyi was asked how he assessed the capital’s preparations for winter and his cooperation with the mayor, Vitalii Klitschko, who has been criticised for the failure of those preparations.
"I believe we could have prepared better. I believe that the government and I, personally, are providing Kyiv with more than just constructive and practical assistance. As for certain projects — those that are unfinished or incomplete — the government is now once again taking charge of their construction, protection and maintenance. We simply have no other option. There is no time left to wait", said the Prime Minister.
At the same time, he noted that some aspects of the preparations had been completed. According to him, the Cabinet of Ministers will now be actively involved in the remaining work to make up for lost time. In Koretskyi’s view, "the main thing is not to think in the short term".
The Prime Minister emphasised that even if a project vital to Kyiv’s energy security were to take a year or a year and a half to complete, work on it must still begin. According to his reasoning, even after a possible peace agreement, the Russian Federation will remain Ukraine’s neighbour, and aggression could recur.
Three evacuation scenarios for Kyiv residents with reduced mobility
According to Koretskyi, the government had a "very substantive discussion" with the Kyiv authorities regarding the possible evacuation of Kyiv residents with reduced mobility. Three scenarios have been envisaged for this:
- the local authorities have premises ready for rehousing;
- relatives can take people with limited mobility into their own homes;
- There are sanatoriums outside the city that the government has allocated to Kyiv.
On the expenditure of the State Treasury
Koretskyi also responded to Klitschko’s allegations that the State Treasury had suspended funding for projects of importance to the people of Kyiv.
According to him, Klitschko should not exploit this situation: a few weeks’ suspension of funding is a short period compared with the timeframe that began as far back as 1 March.
