Special feature: Ukraine war

By: Chris McCullough , Photography by: Ministry of Defence of Ukraine

Date: 12.07.2022

Rebuild starts on Ukraine's transport infrastructure

A huge clean-up of buildings destroyed by Russian bombs has begun in parts of Ukraine

Even though intense shelling from Russian troops in the Donbas (eastern) region of Ukraine continues, there has been a gallant effort to start rebuilding the country in other areas.

Many cities, towns, and villages across Ukraine currently lie in ruins since the beginning of the war between the two countries, which started on 24 February 2022.

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to not only win the war but also to rebuild homes and businesses across the country brick by brick. That in itself is a massive challenge considering the scale of destruction, but work has already begun clearing up the bombed buildings.

Transport infrastructure is being repaired first

Firstly though, the areas have to be checked for landmines and other devices as Russian forces decamped from areas. The biggest job, to begin with, is reconstructing the transport infrastructure, including roads and rail, as well as rebuilding numerous bridges that had been blown up.

Mines had to be cleared in many areas

In many cases, the bridges had been destroyed by Ukraine forces in a bid to curtail the encroachment of the Russian army, particularly in the areas surrounding the capital city Kyiv. 

Many bridges were blown up in towns and cities

Work is currently underway by units of the State Special Transport Service of the Ministry of Ukraine to rebuild the transport infrastructure.

In the suburbs of Kyiv, temporary bridges are being built by specialists of the Ministry of Education and Science, and in the Fastiv district of the Kyiv region, two more bridges have begun the major restoration.

Also, some transport connections are being restored by building bulk crossings in other areas around the city. "Only at a glance, these bridges are insignificant.

Thanks to them, the construction industry enterprises have started, so we have a certain economic effect from them. Together we will win and rebuild the country," says major general Bogdan Bondar, the head of the Administration of the State Transit Service.

Prior to the beginning of the conflict, the construction sector in Ukraine was booming, which was one of the promises president Zelensky made when he was elected in 2019.

Huge projects, both private and public, were ongoing with work on highways, bridges, airports, offices, and apartment buildings costing millions of dollars.

Morgan Williams, president of the 200-member US/Ukraine Business Council in Washington, DC, says, "Before the incursion, which began on 24 February, construction sites across the country were booming in many different sectors."

There are also many challenges faced when rebuilding Ukraine, as many dealers of construction equipment in the country have shut down.

There’s also a major shortage of raw building materials in Ukraine and the major steel producing plants like the one in Mariupol have been totally destroyed.

Foreign aid will play a huge part in rebuilding Ukraine, but at least, there’s a huge tonnage of valuable scrap metal in the country in the form of Russian artillery, tanks, and vehicles destroyed or captured by the Ukrainian forces.

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