Comprehensive recovery of Tsyrkuny: what the state concept sets out

Tsyrkuny sits just across the ring road from Kharkiv's Pivnichna Saltivka, and that closeness to the city cost the village almost everything: the oblast Recovery Service puts destruction at 80%. The same closeness, now to the front line, is why the large-scale rebuild there has still not begun, even though Tsyrkuny is one of six settlements the government selected for comprehensive recovery under the "build back better" principle. Here is what the state concept sets out for the village, what it costs and why the works are stalled.

How Tsyrkuny entered the state recovery programme

The government's intent was set out by Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister at the time: "they will rebuild not individual buildings and structures, but everything – with a systemic approach, new planning and a full transformation of these settlements". The same statement gave the principle its name: "Build back better".

The list in the annex to the resolution is short.

In the summer of 2023 the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration proposed replacing Tsyrkuny with Staryi Saltiv because of constant shelling. The government did not support the swap, and the village stayed on the list.

What the concept of comprehensive recovery sets out for the village

Andrii Aleksieiev, head of the Service for Recovery and Infrastructure Development of Kharkiv Oblast, described the approach this way: "We developed a concept of comprehensive recovery – we took a broader view than our colleagues, because we have the time for it".

This is a rebuild of the village, not repairs to individual houses: it starts with what lies underground and ends with landscaping.

• Utilities go underground. Power lines and the water main are laid in the ground: debris does not tear them, and losses are lower.
• New roads and buildings. Administrative premises and housing are designed from scratch rather than patched.
• Renewable energy. The concept includes a solar power plant and wind turbines.
• Public spaces. A landscape park and a recreation area by the water body.
• Dormitories for people who come to work or to start a business in the village.

From the outset the Recovery Service allowed that not all of the concept would be delivered: "we are reducing some stages or removing them altogether", if the state decides that such capital investment is not justified.

Why capital works are on hold

"The recovery of the settlement of Tsyrkuny is on hold right now for obvious reasons. Because it is practically impossible to work there", Andrii Aleksieiev explained in January 2025. The works were suspended after the situation in the north of Kharkiv oblast escalated.

What has already been done

• The built-up area went through land release. The certificates confirming that the survey was complete were signed by Mykola Sikalenko, head of the military administration, on 3 August 2023.
• Power supply has been restored. That took almost a year; the grid was raised from nothing.
• Design work continues, including for the underground utilities.

The scale of the works depends on one more thing. The Recovery Service does not hide it: before billions are invested, it needs to know how many people will return once hostilities end.

What is happening in the village instead of the large-scale rebuild

• A modular outpatient clinic operates in Tsyrkuny, installed with support from international donors.
• Drinking water is delivered to residents by truck.
• Generators and shelters are being put in place.

We cover two things here: electricity and water. We handed generators over to the hromada, and in 2025 we assessed what needs to change in water supply and wastewater: we went to the site, ran field surveys and laboratory tests.

How exactly we did that is in the piece on the water systems of Tsyrkunivska hromada.

Which energy programmes are already open to residents

The terms depend on who the borrower is: the owner of a private house or an association of co-owners. In both cases the loan starts from 0% at banks partnered with the "5-7-9%" programme, and the difference lies in the amount, the term and the share of compensation.

The three compensation ceilings here are different and do not add up: a private house up to 30%, an OSBB on a generator up to 50%, an OSBB on a solar installation or a heat pump up to 70%.

How this differs from the "Tsyrkuny 2030" Strategy

We separate them by three markers: who drafted the document, what it covers and where the money comes from.

The details of the Strategy and the fund's role in it are in the article Tsyrkuny 2030: the fund's contribution.

What the fund did not do in this story

• The fund did not draft the concept. Its author is the Service for Recovery and Infrastructure Development of Kharkiv Oblast.
• The fund does not manage the money of the state programme and does not influence the order of facilities within it: that sits at the level of the state and the oblast.
• The fund does not name a start date for capital works. It will be set by the Cabinet of Ministers and the Oblast Military Administration.
• The fund does not confirm the volume of state funding. About UAH 10 billion is the Recovery Service's estimate, not our calculation.

This material is for information only and is not legal advice. Data on the concept, the timelines and the terms of state programmes are given as of the publication dates in the sources; the terms of energy programmes and decisions on starting the works change, so before you submit documents, check the figures with a partner bank, at the village council and on official resources.