This was stated by Hennadii Zubko, Vice Prime Minister – Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services, at the opening of the citizens’ Safety Centres in two amalgamated hromadas of the Donetsk Oblast – the Illinivska and Mykolayivska AHs.

“Nobody previously believed that hromadas would amalgamate and receive support and financial assistance from the state, enabling them not only to maintain infrastructure, educational and healthcare facilities, but also think about safety functions. Cooperation with the Oblast State Administration, State Emergency Service, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Health gives its results – we see how the infrastructure of each hromada changes today. Decentralisation is becoming a more effective instrument for restoring Donbas, providing a new quality of life. We see restored infrastructure, rebuilt schools and kindergartens, healthcare and cultural institutions in the Donetsk Oblast. A new hub school has been recently opened here, and today we open Safety Centres. In the framework of the Sate Fund for Regional Development, 22 projects were implemented last year. Our goal is to restore Donbas and give the citizens of the region the proper quality of services in various fields – education, healthcare and safety – by using all the tools provided by decentralisation,” said Hennadii Zubko.

In 2016 and in early 2017, in cooperation with the SES of Ukraine and Donetsk Oblast State Administration, three citizens' Security Centres were established in the amalgamated hromadas of the Donetsk Oblast – the Lymanska, Shakhivska and Cherkaska AHs.

During 2018 a total of 8 Safety Centres are planned to be established in the AHs of the region. For this, UAH 56 million of funds are foreseen in the oblast budget.