Despite air attacks and rocket attacks by the enemy, Kyiv survived. Although taking Kyiv for the occupiers was identical to taking Europe. During the days of the war, the capital of Ukraine turned into an impregnable fortress: fortifications, fortified checkpoints, a strict curfew, a thorough check of documents and many more measures, the nuances of which only specialists know.

Spring is finally felt in Kyiv. Although the war is not over. And on April 28 in Kyiv again " How the capital lives today, what it is preparing for, what its power is doing, in an interview with ZN. UA told the first deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration Mykola Povoroznyk.

About government and citizens.

- Nikolai Yuryevich, the map of the Kyiv City State Administration still shows premises that are not actually suitable for shelters. Therefore, many Kievans, especially those with limited mobility, are forced to stay at home during alarms, since there is not even a subway nearby. Does the KSCA intend to do everything to urgently solve this problem?

— Two months showed what to do with shelters. In some we brought light, provided drinking water. More than 1000 shelters provided Wi-Fi for free, for which I am grateful to the operators. This allowed the people of Kiev not only to tell their relatives where and what happened to them, but also to study online for children, to work online for parents who had such a desire and opportunities..

- Maybe change the map?

- What for? But I would like to note that some citizens have chosen a destructive, in my opinion, tactics for themselves: someone should come and do everything for their safety. The city government will help, will do everything in its power. But in the event that the people of Kiev themselves, the owners of private houses and basements start doing something. After all, most of the housing stock is private property, and the city authorities cannot do anything there if residents do not want to.

- I can confirm that there are condominiums who did not expect the authorities to do everything for them, and they themselves equipped shelters, brought drinking water, connected Wi-Fi. They even brought toys for the kids.

- And this is good! Do not wait for someone to come and do it for you, but also connect and do something yourself. In such cases, the city government will help. But we must act together and unitedly.

About the supply of products.

– Providing Kyiv with food products: KSCA urged medium and small businesses to resume work. They don't rush....

— After the disruption of logistics systems, most retail chains nevertheless quickly continued / resumed their activities. Perhaps a slightly reduced or changed assortment.

- Not to whims, if bread was hard to find.

- I agree. The most popular and sought-after products are available in all retail chains. Moreover, the assortment includes bread from different manufacturers, as well as flour, sunflower oil, etc.. And the range of products is growing daily.. Even taking into account the returnees of Kiev, there are no problems with food supply and will not be.

I must say: when we saw a problem that we could not solve quickly, we turned to business. To their credit, businessmen responded promptly to the needs of the city and the people of Kiev.. You see now the queues?

- Not. In the first days of the active attack of the orcs, it was the queues that terrified, when you had to stand in the rain for several hours, so that in the end... they closed the door in front of you. This was especially frightening for older people..

How many retail chains, grocery stores operate in Kyiv today?

- Given the circumstances, any figure is dynamic. To date, more than two thousand grocery chains and stores operate in Kyiv. There are no queues for food or medicine in the capital for a long time..

- Not. Sometimes it seems like again....

On the contrary, they work even better.! Now we are engaged in providing Kiev residents with fresh (seasonal) vegetables. In particular, we are resuming mini-fairs in the districts of Kyiv. About 40 markets are already working to make it more convenient for people.

— About stores for family pets — dogs, cats? In the first days of the war, my neighbors looked everywhere for food for them....

— This is important — food for pets is available in specialized stores literally from February 25, 2022. Today this is not a problem at all.. And this is also the merit of business.

About heat and gas.

The people of Kiev were turned off the heating much earlier than usual. Although, of course, it was colder for our military in positions and posts. But I wonder what we are billed for: how much gas, heat? How much consumers have paid for these products and services, what is the debt? Kharkiv local authorities "

— But Kyiv is not in a similar situation. And all services were provided to residents in the capital. Therefore, you need to pay for services. Thanks to the anti-crisis decisions, which were made primarily at the local level (we managed to contain the rise in prices for services, despite the increase in the cost of gas), the 2021/2022 heating season was completed without sharp disruptions. For Kyiv, on average, until April 1, this requires approximately 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas, not counting other necessary components..

I have a question: will the school year begin on September 1 and will the children go to school? However, I know for sure that on October 15 (or even earlier), we must turn on the heating in the first place in schools, kindergartens and medical institutions.. Anyway. Therefore, we are already technically preparing a central heating system for this..

A lot will depend on the price of natural gas and the price of electricity.. We don't have answers to these questions right now.. Therefore, we will talk about the strategy when these unknown values \u200b\u200b\u200b\u200bbecome known. Now we need to technically prepare the city heat and power complex in order to turn it on in a timely manner. And a significant role in this is played by payment for already provided services for the supply of heat.. We have repeatedly addressed the people of Kiev with this request, and Vitali Klitschko and I have spoken about this.

I will be dishonest by naming a specific figure for debts. For example, for debts for gas and heat. As of April 27, the debt of Kyivteploenergo subscribers slightly exceeded 50% of the corresponding amount payable. We understand it. But the people of Kiev are returning and repaying their debt, realizing that, despite their absence, heat and gas have been spent on heating their homes.. Therefore, the amount of payments is growing daily..

— The next heating season promises to be even more difficult. The capital is ready for it? Will Kyiv's budget be enough for these needs, or will it have to be borrowed Who and how much?

“We have no other choice but to provide Kyiv with heat, gas, water, sewerage. A significant part of the city's budget is allocated for this.. But there is no certainty with the prices for gas, electricity.

If the residents of Kyiv do not pay for the last heating season, it will be more difficult to start the next heating season. All this must be understood. This situation is similar to the situation with bomb shelters.. You can sit and wait for the city to do (pay) or Klitschko, or you can pay on time at least as much as citizens can.

About work and employment.

- What specialists are most in demand today in the capital? How long Kyiv was ready to offer jobs to people under 24. 02. 22 how much now? Kharkiv residents, for example, praise their Zelenstroy.

- Until Kyiv began to live fully, as a single constantly developing organism, it is difficult to say. Understand that when a city develops, it has needs all the time.. Since the beginning of the active war, the construction industry and related industries have stopped, bringing the largest profits to the city, in particular in the form of taxes. The construction industry employed at least one million people. In Kyiv, the number of jobs offered has always been greater than the registered unemployed..

Yes, Zelenstroy needs hands. Although these are significant, but not decisive labor resources for the capital. Today we are counting on the restoration of business, primarily production, whose owners are returning.

- Can you predict when the construction industry will recover?

When will they stop shooting!

Today, 90% of the work in the capital is related to the service sector, no one invests in the same construction business.

About fuel and transport.

— How Kyiv in the current situation is able to meet the needs of citizens in petroleum products? (On Friday, April 29, we made an unplanned raid almost throughout the Okruzhnaya and could not fill up the car anywhere.

We are now forced to live in new conditions. As for fuel, priority is given to vehicles serving the needs of the army, law enforcement agencies. We must understand that, given the change in priority, not all gas stations may have fuel for other vehicles, just as not all stores may be open, there may not be enough jobs today. After all, now we live in completely different realities..

– Traffic in Kyiv will be changed? You know how many hours you need to spend today to get from one bank of the Dnieper to the other?

- When only two bridges were working, without the metro, there really was a problem. Today, public transport can be reached almost everywhere.. We are primarily trying to use electric transport. The train is running. Here you choose - to stand in traffic jams for hours or use the metro, tram or trolleybus. Saving both time and fuel visual. Today we are restoring the operation of public transport in such a way as to harm the defense of the city.

- Transport costs are covered by the city?

- Bye yes. But with the more numerous return of citizens to Kyiv, the question of changing this position may be raised..

- How soon can you expect it

— I am not ready to announce any terms. No such decision has been made.. We will proceed from the situation.

About housing and marauders.

— Destroyed and partially destroyed buildings of the capital by the occupiers. How many of them, in particular residential buildings? How the Kyiv administration takes care of the survivors and injured residents? Where do they live and will live, at whose expense? (Many victims are unemployed and have no savings.

— Residents of more than 200 residential buildings were affected — they lost their homes in whole or in part. As far as we know, they live with relatives and friends.. We are dealing with this problem.

There are up to a dozen houses where structural elements are damaged. All the same? the majority, as previously established by the commission with the participation of representatives of the Kyiv City State Administration, is subject to restoration. But their inhabitants need to be temporarily relocated. This is already billions of hryvnias. There are city, state programs, and we are working to restore people's housing as quickly as possible.

Also damaged in general are about 150 kindergartens, schools, hospitals, etc..

How much money will be needed for compensation and restoration, no one will dare to say until the end of hostilities.

- In the Lviv region, in particular, they save people by building block housing.

– Temporarily, for internally displaced persons, this is an option. But not for Kyiv.

- Are there cases of looting?

In the first days of the active phase of the war, I saw the consequences of how they tried to break into a communal pharmacy....

- In the first days of an active war, there were several such egregious cases, we strengthened security. But in fact, the looting is stopped by the citizens themselves, even if there are two of them left on the 16-storey entrance. I can assure you that the crime situation in the capital is under control. And the key to this is the self-organization of citizens, and mutual assistance.

Read all articles and interviews of Alla Eremenko here.