Kharkiv allocates over UAH 1.8B to support AFU – Mayor Terekhov

The city of Kharkiv has allocated more than UAH 1.8 billion from its budget to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the years of full-scale war, with UAH 300 million planned this year.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

“Today, Kharkiv’s budget is not a budget of prosperity, but unfortunately a maximally pragmatic frontline survival plan. The first priority is, of course, people. More than a third of all expenditures go to the social sphere. We are deliberately maintaining free transport and free meals – both for those who need it and for schoolchildren. In a city where the enemy is trying to destroy the economy, this is not a privilege, but a critical means of survival for thousands of families. The second priority is the army, of course, support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. From our city budget over the years of full-scale war, more than UAH 1.8 billion has been allocated. This year we have also set aside UAH 300 million,” Terekhov said.

At the same time, he emphasized that Kharkiv is the first major city from the front line providing rear support to the military.

“It is impossible to compare Kharkiv with other cities in this regard or make simple tables. Kharkiv today is the main rear hub of the army, the first major city from the front. Our hospitals receive the wounded, our entrepreneurs work around the clock repairing heavy equipment and vehicles coming from the front line. We are a repair base, a hospital, and a home for tens of thousands of soldiers. This is a huge burden on the city’s infrastructure that is not reflected in any chart of aid to the army, but in reality, it is a foundation of our defense,” he said.

Terekhov also noted that the city’s municipal enterprises provide significant support to the military, including equipment and other needs.

Responding to questions about funding urban reconstruction projects such as the University Street park and the Lopan embankment, the Mayor said they are necessary to preserve the city’s identity and provide psychological support to residents.

“Kharkiv has taken on a mission so that our defenders can see what they are fighting for. When a soldier comes from the trenches for two days and sees well-kept flowerbeds, clean parks, and lit streets – he sees the civilization he is defending there. Soldiers often come up to me in parks and say: ‘Thank you for keeping the city alive, seeing this we understand what we are standing for.’ This is the psychological state of both residents and defenders – and it is also a line of defense. I emphasize: this is also a line of defense,” he said.

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He added that turning Kharkiv into a gray ruin would mean a psychological victory for the enemy even before launching missiles.

“As I said: support for the front, social protection, and preserving the human face of the city – these are our three pillars. We are holding on and showing the world that Kharkiv is alive, fighting, and will continue to develop despite everything,” the Mayor concluded.

As reported earlier, the Kharkiv City Council allocated UAH 15 million to purchase a CT scanner for a military hospital.

Photo: Kharkiv City Council press service