Far from the war, for a moment. Andriy Sadovyi is on the Croisette this week. “At the invitation” of his Cannes counterpart David Lisnard, the mayor of the Ukrainian city of Lviv, in the far west of the country, where many people have been displaced since the invasion of Russia, came to seek funding from the occasion of Mipim, the world market for real estate professionals.
While the reconstruction of Lviv has begun, the elected official is also supporting the development of his project called “Unbrocken” (“intact”, in French), a program carried out by the municipal hospital for the creation of structures to help victims. of the war. This project, daily life, the hoped-for end of the conflict, the restarting of the country, tourism, etc… Between two meetings, Andriy Sadovyi answered questions from 20 minutes.
More than a year after the start of the war in Ukraine, what about the reconstruction of Lviv?
Things take a long time. The Russian attacks notably caused the destruction of critical infrastructure for the city’s electricity supply. And it will take more patience to get everything back to working order.
Ukraine hopes to be able to count on tourism to revive the country after the war. In Lviv, more spared than other cities by the attacks, you say you are already ready to welcome visitors…
Before the invasion of Russia, we had 2.5 million visitors a year. And we hope to be able to do even better as soon as possible, as soon as we have won the war. In the meantime, we are trying to restart everything gradually, of course taking into account security issues. We are already welcoming people. A lot of Ukrainians especially who come from other bombarded cities, for a day or two. These are people who come to Lviv looking for some peace and quiet. We also do our best to welcome many international guests, who are there for business and to whom we try to show the best image of our city. Recently, a forum has also welcomed a large number of people.
What are your days like… how do you run a city in times of war?
We host 150,000 displaced people and I am responsible for each of them. I have to find solutions for them, every day. That’s what takes up most of my time. One of the other essential points is the construction of a factory to produce prostheses for all the injured people, who lost limbs during the attacks. My responsibility is also to build new housing, accommodation for those in need. All of that, of course, we will do. But the most important thing is first of all the victory, it is to win the war.
In particular, you are carrying out this “Unbrocken” project. What does it consist on ?
We are building a complete hospital ecosystem, a symbol of humanity. It is intended for injured people, traumatized people, victims of war. The idea is in particular to treat psychological and psychiatric disorders, to be able to provide prostheses to those who have been damaged by the attacks, to find them work, to accompany the return to life of all those who have stood up to our service. During the first year of the war, 11,000 people, soldiers, but also women and children, were taken care of. It is a program in perpetual expansion, which continues to adapt to needs.
In April, a new building of 14,000 m2 will be opened. Then, there will be one more, of 4,000 m2, by the end of the year. This is why we need to find sponsors, investors. The invitation from the mayor of Cannes allows us to get people talking about the project internationally and to meet many people who can help us.
You say that “first the most important thing is victory, winning the war”. How do you think it could end?
There is only one solution: the disoccupation of all territories, Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk. It all belongs to Ukraine. There is no discussion possible. These are our territories and we are not going to give them away. To no one.