Location and Population

• Located in southeastern Ukraine
• Area: 27.2 thousand sq. km
• Population (2022): 1.638 million
• Over 70% of the region, including 588 settlements, is temporarily occupied due to the Russian invasion.

Transport Infrastructure

• Kakhovka Lock allowed ships to access the open sea (now lost due to the Kakhovka HPP dam destruction).

• Two airports (Zaporizhzhia and Berdyansk) served domestic and international flights.

• 1043 km of railway connecting major industrial centers with Ukrainian and European cities.

Industry

• One of Ukraine's most industrialized regions with leading enterprises in metallurgy, machine-building, and energy.
• Major companies include Zaporizhstal, Dniprospetsstal, Zaporizhzhia Ferroalloy Plant, Motor Sich, and others.

Energy

• Home to Europe's largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia NPP (6000 MW), Zaporizhzhia TPP (2850 MW), and Dnipro HPP (1578.6 MW).

• Active development in alternative energy with wind and solar power stations.

Agriculture

• Before the full-scale invasion, 3363 enterprises cultivated 1.88 million hectares of arable land with a sales volume of almost 22 billion UAH.

Small and Medium Businesses

• Over 85,000 entrepreneurial entities, including more than 70,000 individual entrepreneurs and 15,000 enterprises.

Sports and Culture

• Three international-standard sports complexes: Slavutych-Arena stadium, Yunost and Zaporizhzhia Aluminium Construction Sports Palaces.
• Annually, about 45,000 cultural events, such as international and national festivals.

Recreational Potential

• Rich natural and recreational potential with the Sea of Azov coast, the Dnipro River, and unique historical and cultural landmarks.
• Over 550 facilities for health and recreation.

Tourist Attractions

• National Reserve Khortytsia, the world’s largest river island and a significant cultural heritage site.

• National Historical and Archaeological Reserve "Stone Tomb" and Vasylivka Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve "Popov Manor House".

II. The War Changed Everything: Main Problems, Risks, Threats, and Challenges

Impact of Full-scale War

• 83% of Zaporizhzhia Oblast is either occupied or in active combat zones.

Damaged or Destroyed Objects

• Housing: 11,483 residential buildings and 14,321 households damaged.
• Critical infrastructure: 585 industrial sites damaged or destroyed, 2108 energy facilities ruined, affecting over 50 settlements.
• Social infrastructure: 278 educational institutions, 81 healthcare facilities, and 6 social protection facilities damaged.

Security and Environmental Consequences

• Potentially dangerous areas: over 2.25 million hectares, including 1.5 million hectares of agricultural land.
• Environmental damage estimated at over 16.5 billion UAH.

Human Capital Decline

• Migration of young and skilled Ukrainians abroad.
• Strategic enterprises face a shortage of qualified personnel.
• Increased need for medical aid, rehabilitation, and mental health support.

III. Regional Recovery Experience

Business Continuity

• Despite significant destruction, businesses continue to operate.
• Industrial production index in 2023: 94.5% (up from 47.1% in 2022).
• 42,000 active SMEs employing over 87,000 people.
• Over 11 million UAH allocated to support local businesses.

Infrastructure Restoration

• Restoration of all administrative service centers (CNAP) on the controlled territory.
• Housing reconstruction in Zaporizhzhia funded by budget and charity.

• Safe educational environments: 22 million UAH from the state, over 69 million UAH from local budgets, and more than 7 million UAH from charitable organizations.

Security Measures

• Enhanced readiness of 1367 civil defense shelters to 78%.
• Creation of multifunctional shelters "Unbreakable Hubs" in Zaporizhzhia.

• Support for youth: opening of the youth center "People.ua".

IV. Vision for Restoration and Development

Zaporizhzhia region is a region that has transitioned from recovery to becoming a safe, sustainable, and economically developed area, where necessary conditions have been created to ensure the full functioning of all spheres of life for the region's communities living in the new post-war environment.

The main goal is not only to rebuild infrastructure, social facilities, and businesses but also to repatriate residents to the Zaporizhzhia region.

Our 3 strategic objectives are:

1. PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN CAPITAL, REINTEGRATION.

2. COMPREHENSIVE RESTORATION OF INFRASTRUCTURE.

3. BUSINESS RECOVERY AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

For each area, top priorities, tasks, and key projects have been identified, including after the de-occupation of the territories and strategic facilities of the region.

A number of projects and activities are planned to implement the 1st strategic objective:

• create a safe environment in the communities of the region

• install 100 primary shelters in crowded places with the involvement of socially responsible businesses

• bring radiation shelters into proper technical condition;

• implement a large-scale project to build a radiation shelter or a dual-purpose structure;

• modernize the centralized warning system;

• create a network of Security Centers;

• create a comprehensive video analytics system for Zaporizhzhia;

• build 12 “underground schools” and overhaul and reconstruct up to 20 existing shelters in schools;

• build “Gothuimo” kitchen factories;

• create conditions to restore the physical and mental health of the population;

• build a modern regional rehabilitation center with 150 beds;

• build protective structures of the “hospital underground” type at the regional clinical children's hospital and the regional perinatal center;

• build protective structures in 3 health care facilities;

• build a surgical building at the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Clinical Children's Hospital;

• carry out major repairs and reconstruction of shelters (anti-radiation shelters) in 7 health care facilities;

• reconstruct the pathology and morphology building of the regional clinical hospital;

• Ensure social integration of IDPs and veterans into public life;

• compensate employers for labor costs for the employment of certain categories of citizens;

• introduce training and retraining programs;

• continue cooperation with the German organization SEQUA in terms of implementing projects for retraining and training of blue-collar professionals in a shortened time frame;

• develop veteran policy at the regional level;

• create a regional veterans' space;

• provide Administrative Service Centers (ASC) services to veterans and their families on a “one-stop shop” basis;

• build a memorial to the defenders of Ukraine in Zaporizhzhia;

• create memorial complexes in the sectors of honorary burials;

• introduce a regional online platform for honoring fallen defenders of Ukraine - the Book of Memory;

• create accessible tourist magnets;

• ensure the provision of quality administrative services;

• build new premises or install modular ASCs;

• ensure barrier-free service delivery at the ASC;

• equip ASCs with special equipment, increase the level of digitalization of ASCs, and form material and human resources reserves.

To implement the 2nd strategic objective, it is planned to:

• restore destroyed settlements in accordance with modern urban concepts;

• restore damaged residential buildings;

• restore the region's position as a leader in energy generation in Europe;

• build cogeneration units at the facilities of the City Heating Networks Concern in Zaporizhzhia;

• restore, modernize, and build new electric and gas facilities;

• develop alternative generation facilities (wind, solar, biogas, small-scale generation facilities);

• install alternative sources of power supply and frequency converters at the largest water intakes in the region in Zaporizhzhia;

• extend the lifetime of Zaporizhzhia NPP units and the construction of small modular reactors;

• restore the destroyed and damaged facilities of the Dnipro HPP, modernize the hydraulic units to the maximum capacity for the plant to operate at full capacity;

• implement projects to build distributed generation at facilities with existing electricity and gas grid infrastructure;

• restore logistics and transportation infrastructure;

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• carry out urgent repairs of emergency areas on roads and engineering structures;

• build a highway across the Dnipro River to Zaporizhzhia;

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• reconstruct the Arch Bridge over the Old Dnipro River in Zaporizhzhia;

• restore Zaporizhzhia International Airport;

• restore the operation of the Berdiansk Commercial Sea Port.

To implement the 3rd strategic objective, it is planned to create the most favorable conditions for business recovery and development, support entrepreneurial initiatives, namely:

• restore and develop business, support entrepreneurial initiatives;

• implement measures related to the assessment of damage and destruction of the region's economy;

• help strategic enterprises of the region to receive material and technical assistance from partner countries in the form of critical equipment through the state mechanism;

• subsidize interest rates on business loans to enable the provision of interest-free credit resources in the amount of UAH 500 to 1000 million annually;

• introduce targeted grant support for high-tech industries, veteran businesses, and grant support for the return of relocated enterprises;

• introduce energy independence and barrier-free elements;

• launch projects to develop an innovative business support infrastructure, such as the Center for Artificial Intelligence and the Innovation Hub, where entrepreneurs can test their inventions using the equipment and technologies of the centers;

• apply targeted measures to integrate businesses and support cluster initiatives;

• restore the sustainable development of agro-industrial development, primarily through the demining of agricultural land;

• attract international assistance for the training of mine action specialists and operators and for obtaining machinery (vehicles) and equipment for demining and demining of agricultural land;

• implement the project “Combining Rozumivska and Verkhnia Tarasivska irrigation systems”;

• introduce new industrialization based on sustainable development and green transition;

• create a modern IT center in Enerhodar.

WE WORK. WE REBUILD. WE WILL WIN!