Page 51 - bne magazine September 2023

bne September 2023 Eastern Europe I 51
start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The Agency is ready to offer construction jobs to soldiers returning from the war as well as returning refugees.
“It will be one of the biggest triggers for the economy next year,” Nayyem states.
He excitedly explains the project as
not about building back Soviet-style, but about building unique and “people friendly” settlements for different communities’ needs and requirements. Nayyem and his team have planned
a visit to Posad Pokrovske in Kherson Oblast the day after the interview where the proposals will be presented to residents. “Even the renders look beautiful,” he claims.
It’s a radical project that will be unlike anything the country has
seen before and in stark contrast to Russia’s reconstruction projects in Mariupol, which Nayyem dismisses as a “ghetto”. Citizens have a direct say in how their settlements will look and 2,000 members of the Agency are in communication with locals
on the ground. Whilst the Agency discusses the project’s needs with the government and the Ministries of Energy, Infrastructure, Education and Healthcare, the final decision is up to local authorities and residents.
“We can't dictate to them,” Nayyem said. “Of course, we will suggest to people the best solution, because in some areas
we understand that infrastructure is overloaded. In some facilities in some areas, there is not the possibility to
rebuild everything as before the war and it's not necessary.”
Healthcare institutions, for example, should be diminished in amount but increased in capacity to deliver different services, he claims. At the same time, "safety centres" will be modernised
to combine police, firefighters and ambulances to work more efficiently and also reduce electricity usage. Nayyem explains that facilities will also be fully accessible for disabled people, an urgent need for Ukraine considering the high number of injured fighters returning from the front line.
A standardised approach and modern technologies are being implemented in the rebuilding process, with plans for the first 3D printed school in Europe to open in Lviv next year. Prefab and modern materials for housing will help speed up the process and keep costs down as well as provide work for production factories. Modernisation also means green designs and the Agency is in discussion with European colleagues, international communities and experts to adopt environmental standards.
“In the future, to attract more money and involve partners, we should be green. It's important,” Nayyem emphasises.
However, one of the main problems is the lack of residents in territories close to hostilities, as many have left the country or moved to other cities. In order to bring people back, the government needs to offer opportunities and stability, as well as rebuild key infrastructure.
Nayyem references examples of recovery processes after catastrophes in Japan, the USA, Pakistan and Malaysia as a blueprint for what needs to be done.
“First of all, people think about security; if it’s secure they will come back. Secondly, it's to survive and earn money and they should have jobs. We should
be focused on the economic side of this issue, and I think restoration itself will be part of economic development and part of job creation. Next is housing, which
is the responsibility of the government, because housing is something that people cannot bring back fast enough [themselves] so the government should help them,” he explains.
Once these issues have been addressed, then he is convinced people will return to their home towns. Despite the challenges facing the Agency, Nayyem is confident and describes the project with pride.
For him, it’s not just about rebuilding war-torn villages and cities, it’s about a revolutionary change, directing Ukraine away from its Soviet past and building a modern, exciting future that is designed to take into account the needs of different communities.
“It's a very different approach to make this research: speaking to people, doing all these polls, showing these projects at public hearings, community gatherings and discussing these issues. That's a big part of our work,” Nayyem states.
“I think that we will really show how it will be done and this final project for us is crucial.”
Russian tech titan Yandex CEO Volozh
slams Putin’s "barbaric" war in Ukraine
Ben Aris in Berlin
Arkady Volozh, the former CEO of Russia’s internet giant Yandex, issued a statement on August 10 that slams Putin’s “barbaric” war in Ukraine, a statement that will almost
certainly see him lose control of any assets or money he still has in Russia.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is barbaric and I am categorically against it. I am
horrified about the fate of people in Ukraine – many of them my personal friends and relatives – whose houses are being bombed every day,” Volozh wrote in a statement emailed to bne
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