Reconstruction has not begun in Balenko building hit by Russian missile in February; residents face winter in damaged apartments
Executive summary
Residents of apartment buildings damaged by Russian strikes face slow, uneven reconstruction across Ukraine as national and international plans struggle to meet urgent housing needs; the joint RDNA4 puts Ukraine’s total reconstruction bill at $524 billion as of 31 Dec. 2024 and notes major shortfalls in 2025 funding [1]. Local reporting shows specific projects stalled by procurement problems, alleged corruption and cancelled contracts that leave people living amid rubble and dust long after deadlines such as “end of reconstruction December 2024” have passed [2].
1. A national price tag that dwarfs local reality
International assessments frame Ukraine’s rebuilding as massive and long-term: the RDNA4, compiled by the Ukrainian government, World Bank, EU and UN, estimates $524 billion in reconstruction and recovery needs over the next decade and records $176 billion of direct physical damage through 31 Dec. 2024 [1]. That macro figure explains why municipal and building-level projects are competing for scarce, phased funding and why many schemes are slow to reach the ground, but it does not itself explain which particular buildings remain unrepaired [1].
2. “End of reconstruction December 2024” — and then the work stopped
On the ground, residents recount a different timeline: Al Jazeera documented an apartment block where a plastic sign declared “The end of reconstruction is December 2024,” yet people continue to live amid noise, dust and unfinished works after contracts were cancelled following allegations of corruption tied to the contractor [2]. That snapshot shows how official schedules and procurement failures translate into months — even years — of disrupted lives.
3. Procurement, corruption and cancelled contracts as bottlenecks
The Al Jazeera reporting highlights a concrete mechanism that freezes progress: anti-monopoly authorities cancelled a contract to restore a damaged apartment building because of alleged corruption links to the construction company [2]. Such interventions can be necessary to prevent misuse of funds, but they also leave repair works in limbo unless replacement contractors and renewed financing arrive quickly [2].
4. Scale problem: housing is the obvious priority but the needs are vast
Multiple sources stress that housing is the largest single reconstruction need and a priority for 2025, yet the scale is enormous — RDNA4 and other policy pieces underline that millions of households were affected and that priority funding for 2025 is limited relative to total needs [1] [3]. The World Bank and partner institutions have mobilised assessments and some allocations, but available funds cover only a fraction of immediate demand [1] [3].
5. International planning vs. local implementation gaps
There is active international engagement — World Bank, EU, UN assessments and planning exercises and academic programs studying best practices — but translating frameworks into timely, local repairs remains uneven [1] [4]. External reports chart strategies and financing envelopes; local journalism documents where those strategies have not yet delivered a finished apartment, illustrating a disconnect between planning and implementation [1] [2] [4].
6. Alternative viewpoints and trade‑offs policymakers face
Authorities and donors argue for “building back better” and prioritising EU‑standard reconstruction, which can raise costs and extend tendering timelines but aims to improve resilience long-term [1] [3]. Local residents prioritize immediate habitability and safety. Both positions are documented in the reporting: international bodies emphasise strategic reconstruction investments, while on-the-ground accounts stress urgent, lived hardships when contracts are cancelled or delayed [1] [2] [3].
7. What the sources don’t say about this specific “Balenko” building
Available sources do not mention a building named “Balenko” specifically; the Al Jazeera piece documents an unrepaired five‑storey residential block with cancelled contracts and a December 2024 deadline, but it does not use the name “Balenko” [2]. For confirmation about a particular building name, location, or the exact current status of residents’ heating and utilities, local municipal records or subsequent on‑site reporting would be required; those details are not present in the provided materials [2].
8. Bottom line for readers and policymakers
The countrywide reconstruction estimate ($524 billion) explains why many individual projects are slow, and reporting links procurement problems and corruption allegations to concrete stoppages that leave residents to endure winters in damaged apartments [1] [2]. Policymakers face a real trade‑off: speed and emergency repairs versus transparent, high‑standard procurement; the evidence in these sources shows stalled contracts create immediate human costs even as administrators and international partners pursue long-term, costly reconstruction programmes [2] [1].