Address by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal

Heroic people of Ukraine!

The Government has embarked on implementing a Ukraine Recovery Plan. First of all, this applies to the territories recently liberated from the russian occupier.

The first key point is security. Therefore, the priority objective is to demine the areas that were affected by fierce battles. The russian army left behind thousands of mines, shells and bombs. Our pyrotechnic heroes have neutralized more than 80,000 of them. Every

day 4-5 thousand dangerous explosives are dismantled. But, unfortunately, for months to come we will find and neutralize such remnants of the "russian world" on our land.

Hence, the Cabinet of Ministers has already commenced activities to establish an International Demining Center. We talked about this with the UN Under-Secretary-General, with the leaders of European countries and with all our partners who visited Bucha and Borodianka with us.

The process of complete dismante will take time, in some areas it may take months. The Ministry for the Reintegration of the Temporary Occupied Territories in synergy with the Ministry of the Interior and other ministries, is to develop a multi-year State Mine Action Strategy. Such a strategy should include not only the phased search and disposal of explosive devices, but should also cover other areas, from schooling to communication campaigns that tell what these objects look like.

The atrocities we saw in Irpin, Bucha, Borodianka, dozens of other villages and towns is indescribable. Our sappers find mined children's toys, washing machines, bags of potatoes, playgrounds. Hundreds of land mines have been installed in the forests, and thousands of mines have been buried in the fields. The actions of russian troops on the territory of Ukraine are pure evil that must be punished and can never be forgiven.

An interactive map with places of detection of explosive objects and dangerous areas has been launched on the official website of the State Emergency Service. I am separately asking and appealing to parents from cities and villages that have been deoccupied: tell children about the dangers, do not let them go for walks outside the settlements, outside the territory where mine action has already been carried out.

The Ministry of the Interior has already been commissioned to increase the number of sappers and rescuers in order to speed up this work. But we will have to check thousands of square kilometers of territory, so I ask everyone to be vigilant and responsible.

The second stage of Ukraine Recovery Plan, which is taking place in parallel with the first, is the reconstruction of critical infrastructure.

Ukrenergo restored 60% of the destroyed networks in Kyiv and Chernihiv regions. The activities will be completed in early May. Gas supplies have been restored to almost 30,000 households. The Kyiv-Chop highway has been cleared by 90% and traffic on this section will be fully restored in the near future. The clearing of the Kyiv-Chernihiv road continues. Temporary crossings are being built on the sites of destroyed bridges - to Irpen, Bucha, Chernihiv.

The Ministry for Communities and Territories Development has started to shape and implement a strategy for the demolition of uninhabitable buildings that are in a state of emergency. After their demolition, it will be possible to embark on immediate construction of new housing.

Meanwhile, the State continues to provide people in the frontline and deoccupied territories with food, medicine and other basic necessities. The Government has already purchased food kits to the tune of UAH 5 billion for free distribution and has involved more than 700 domestic enterprises in the process.

Programs for internally displaced persons also continue to operate. The Government allocates UAH 2,000 to each adult and UAH 3,000 to each child in a family that has been forced to relocate. A UAH 578 million resource has already been allocated for the payment of such assistance. These funds will allow to obtain assistance for about 155,000 internally displaced persons.

Besides, the Government in synergy with the United Nations, is launching two more payment programs. The decision was made at today's meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers. According to our agreements, IDPs who need additional protection will receive UAH 2,200 each month per each family member. These resources will be paid by the UN World Food Programme within 3 months. Moreover, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees will also provide special assistance to our low-income IDP retirees. They will also be paid an additional UAH 2,200. We plan to cover with these payments from donors about 700,000 internally displaced persons.

At the same time, the Government prolongs encouraging the resumption of business activity and employment. We allot almost UAH 1.3 billion as an additional resource from the reserve fund for the Social Insurance Fund to ensure the payment of unemployment benefits.

All this is also possible thanks to the support and assistance of our international partners. Today, at a session of the Government, an agreement was signed with the Government of Japan to attract assistance in the amount of 13 billion yen. These are preferential funds to finance the priority needs of our country and the Ukrainian people. Also recently, the Ministry of Finance has inked an agreement with the Government of Canada to raise CAD 500 million. We are negotiating help at all levels and with everyone who demonstrates ability and readiness to help.

We continue to exert every effort to provide Ukrainians and the Ukrainian army with everything they need. We continue to join efforts for our victory.

Glory to Ukraine!