Kyiv launches resilience plan without government approval

The government has not yet agreed on a resilience plan for Kyiv. Due to the lack of time, the capital has already begun to implement some of the measures at its own expense, negotiating funding with the government and international partners.

Kyiv's resilience plan: government's delay

As of 15 April, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has not approved the Kyiv Resilience Plan and has not provided official comments. As a result, the city authorities have been forced to act independently, starting to implement some of the plan's measures at the expense of the city budget.

At the same time, Kyiv is actively negotiating with the government and international partners to attract additional funding for preparing for the next winter. The reason for this is the acute shortage of time to implement the necessary measures.

Financing and budgetary risks

According to the city authorities, Kyiv plans to spend about 20% of its budget, or UAH 20.37 billion, on the implementation of the resilience plan. The capital expects to receive another UAH 47.1bn from the state budget.

However, the question of receiving state aid remains open. According to the Ministry of Development, the Cabinet of Ministers will determine the priority of funding for activities in a «manual mode». This creates a situation where local authorities are responsible for the result, but do not control the process of allocating funds.

Lack of public funds and risks for cities

The Cabinet of Ministers will not be able to provide funding for all the announced sustainability plans in full. It is known that the funds allocated for these measures will not be enough for all cities.

The National Security and Defence Council has approved resilience plans for all cities except Kyiv. Thus, it is the decisions of the central government that will determine how Kyiv residents will survive the next winter. This issue has already gone beyond political disputes and concerns the state's responsibility for the safety of citizens.

Responsibility of the state and local authorities

Kyiv's local authorities are forced to act under uncertainty, implementing some of the plan's measures at their own expense. However, without government support, the city will not be able to fully ensure its resilience to possible challenges next winter.