70% of Kherson region is under occupation, but we are making plans for restoration

The International Forum in Verona. Photo: Lviv City Council

Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, took part in an international forum in Verona, Italy, where he presented the region that survived the occupation and suffered significant losses, but has a vision for post-war recovery and development.

In a commentary to the Italian media, Oleksandr Prokudin stressed the scale of the destruction and the importance of international support.

«Our region is experiencing enormous suffering. At the beginning of the war, it was completely occupied. Today, almost 70% of our territory remains under Russian control. We have suffered great losses. We recognise that mistakes were made in crisis management. We are here to share our experience and get advice on how to make our cities more effective in the reconstruction process,» said Oleksandr Prokudin.

Among the key areas that the region is working on, he mentioned energy, including cogeneration and solar power, restoration of seaports and modernisation of agriculture.

«Our main needs are related to the energy sector, in particular cogeneration and solar energy production. In addition, we want to rebuild at least one of the destroyed ports after the war. Agriculture is another critical area. Therefore, we seek to strengthen relations with Italy to develop cooperation and investment,» said the head of the Kherson Regional State Administration.

He noted that the forum was a preparatory stage for the international conference on Ukraine's recovery, Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025, which will be held in Rome in July.

Earlier it was reported that Sweden plans to restore the village of Zmiivka in the Kherson region, which was damaged by Russian shelling.