Terekhov says how long it will take to rebuild Kharkiv

It will take about two years to rebuild Kharkiv after Russian shelling, mayor Ihor Terekhov said in a TV marathon.

As for the timeframe, it all depends not only on us, but also on the funds we will use for this, on the budget capabilities. We estimate somewhere between two and three years for complete reconstruction of the city after such terrible destruction," Terekhov said.

There is a lot of destruction in the city now, he said. At last count, 150,000 residents of the city were left homeless.

He also added that last year 200 high-rise buildings in Kharkiv were repaired. At the same time 50 buildings are being repaired.

It should be noted that according to the estimates of the Ukrainian government, the World Bank Group, the European Commission and the United Nations, the cost of the planned reconstruction of Ukraine has risen to 411bn dollars.

The highest estimated needs are for transport (22 per cent), housing (17 per cent), energy (11 per cent), social protection and livelihoods (10 per cent), explosive ordnance management (9 per cent) and agriculture (7 per cent). The frontline districts affected the most were Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk and Kherson oblasts.