France is ready to help Mykolaiv prepare accommodation for those evacuated from Kherson

In Mykolaiv, arrangements are being made to find accommodation for people who may need to be evacuated from Kherson. Photo: MykVisi archive

In Mykolaiv, checks will be carried out on council-owned and other premises that could be used to temporarily accommodate residents of Kherson should they be evacuated. Representatives of the French Embassy in Ukraine have already enquired whether there are any such premises in the city that require renovation or furnishing.

This was announced by the mayor, Oleksandr Sienkevych, during a staff meeting on 7 September, according to NikVesti.

According to him, he had spoken with representatives of the French Embassy the day before. They explained that the French side is working to establish a partnership between Kherson and one of the French cities. In the course of this work, the French representatives learnt about the difficult situation in Kherson ahead of the heating season.

«They asked whether we had any specific needs, and whether there were any student halls of residence in need of repair that could be used as temporary accommodation for people evacuated from Kherson to Mykolaiv. We can see that attacks are ongoing in Kherson today; the city is being destroyed and there is a ‘safari’ targeting locals. They are simply taking ordinary civilians and practising attacking them with drones. We can therefore expect that some of these people will head to the nearest towns, in particular to Mykolaiv,» said Oleksandr Sienkevych.

The mayor noted that due to the constant Russian attacks, some residents of Kherson may be forced to flee to the nearest towns, particularly Mykolaiv. The city must therefore prepare potential accommodation sites in advance.

«It’s not even a question of carrying out a complete refurbishment with sockets and toilets. The main thing is that people can stay there. There shouldn’t be camp beds and mattresses on the floor; the premises should at least be furnished,» explained Oleksandr Sienkevych.

The French side is prepared to consider funding basic refurbishments and the purchase of necessary furniture for such premises. To this end, Mykolaiv must provide a list of properties that could potentially be prepared for the winter.

At the same time, First Deputy Mayor Vitalii Lukov noted that there are virtually no vacant municipal halls of residence left. Some of the premises have already been renovated and are being used to accommodate people.

Following this, Oleksandr Sienkevych instructed officials to check not only municipal halls of residence but also those at universities, colleges and vocational and technical institutions. According to him, information should also be sought from the regional authorities.

«We must either say that we do not have such facilities, or that there are facilities at universities. Broadly speaking, we are even talking about purchasing basic furniture,» the mayor noted.

He added that there is little time left to prepare such premises — around two months until the start of the heating season.

«We must either say that we do not have such facilities, or find premises in universities, colleges or other institutions. Even if they are not fully equipped, we need to work out what can be done before winter,» said the mayor.

The mayor instructed his deputy, Anatolii Petrov, to work on this issue in collaboration with those responsible for municipal property and education, and to draw up a list of potential premises.

It should be recalled that in early 2024, a hostel for internally displaced persons was being renovated in the Zavodskyi district of Mykolaiv. The work was funded by the International Organisation for Migration, though no specific figures were given. It was expected that the hostel would be able to accommodate 200 people.