Sienkevych: most businesses that left Mykolaiv will not return

Mayor of Mykolaiv Oleksandr Sienkevych. Photo: NikVesti

Most of the businesses that have relocated from Mykolaiv are unlikely to return. So now the city is actually surviving thanks to small and micro businesses and needs support.

This was stated by Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych in an interview with «News.LIVE».

«Since 2022, a large number of small and medium-sized businesses have left our city. Large businesses have completely closed. That is, our largest taxpayers have closed. Mykolaiv was the second largest port city in Ukraine. Today, our port is not working. After the occupation of the Kinburn Spit, the exit from our port is closed. All port companies have closed and are simply not working,» he explained.

The mayor stressed that businesses from Kharkiv to Odesa should receive preferences.

«They are saying now: «You have the opportunity to create industrial parks». And the rules are the same for everyone. This will not work. The risks in Mykolaiv and Uzhhorod are different. The risks in Mykolaiv, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv are different. And the rules are the same. Therefore, we must create special economic zones, special economic instruments where people will understand: yes, we are investing in Mykolaiv — there are more risks, but also more profits,» said Oleksandr Sienkevych.

According to him, the city needs not just subventions or subsidies, but support for business development. Otherwise, the region may turn into a «depressive» and weaken even further due to the massive departure of people.

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At the same time, Sienkiewicz doubts that the government's war risk insurance mechanism will help bring big business back to the city.

«Most of those who have relocated are unlikely to return. The only thing they can do is to multiply their businesses: if they have developed their expertise here and moved to the West or the Centre, they can return and develop a second office here,» the mayor said.

The military factor, in particular Putin's statements about his intentions to seize Mykolaiv and Odesa regions, also affects the region's investment attractiveness.

«Does this affect investment attractiveness? Yes, and definitely not for the better. External investors are not considering these territories for investment at all. Why invest in something that can be destroyed by a missile tomorrow?» explained Oleksandr Sienkevych.

Earlier, Vitaliy Kim reported that in 2025, 940 new businesses were registered in Mykolaiv region, and the number of jobs increased by 4.7%.