To rebuild or to dismantle: what is the fate of the house damaged by shelling in Aliaudy in Mykolaiv

A house damaged by shelling at 2 Aliaudy Street in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti

In the Tsentralnyi District of Mykolaiv, separated by the Inhul River from the rest of the city, stretches the Aliaudy Peninsula. You can get to this remote corner of the city via a pontoon bridge. There is only one street with the same name — Aliaudy. At its very end are several residential buildings, all of which were damaged at the beginning of the full-scale war due to Russian shelling.

In April, the publication NikVesti wrote about how the inhabitants of the Aliaudy Peninsula survive in dilapidated high-rise buildings. One of the residents of the house at 2 Aliaudy Street, Nadiia Stefarak, said that in August 2022, her house was hit by three Russian missiles. Since then, people have been living without a full-fledged roof — only a tarpaulin and film, which do not protect against precipitation.

The city authorities then ordered a technical inspection of the house at 2 Aliaudy Street to determine the possibility of its restoration. Preliminary calculations showed that 5-6 million hryvnias would be needed for repairs. Completion of the survey and submission of the report was expected by July 1 of this year.

On August 14, at a meeting of the executive committee of the Mykolaiv City Council, a decision was made to dismantle the building. The technical examination showed that the restoration of the house is impractical, and it is subject to demolition.

Dismantle or restore: the opinions of the owners are divided

NikVesti journalists again visited the residents of the building to find out their reaction to such a decision of the executive committee. Opinions are divided: those whose homes were most affected support the dismantling and are already receiving certificates, while other residents want to stay in their homes. For example, Nataliia Vasiakina says that her apartment is full of fungus due to constant leaks, and the house itself no longer has a reliable foundation.

«The possibility of restoring this house is to completely demolish it and build a new one from the foundation. Although we have already had precipitation and the foundation has been washed away, there is no foundation. My whole apartment is now covered in fungus, because everything has been leaking for two years,» says the woman.

Nataliia Vasiakina shows the condition of her apartment. Photo NikVesti

The ceiling in Nataliia Vasiakina's apartment. Photo NikVesti

According to residents, the house could be rebuilt immediately after the shelling, but two years later, weather conditions worsened its condition. Natalya's neighbor Oleksandr Kholodnyi says that the cracks on the walls of his apartment are increasing every year, and now it is dangerous to live in a dilapidated building. Entering the living room, Oleksandr shows how one of the walls is swaying.

«This wall is floating, I have a crack in the ceiling, it grows every year. No, it is definitely not possible to live here anymore, the house is in a very dilapidated condition. We will be here like a house of cards. Restore? And how to restore it, the supporting walls are already falling. It should be completely demolished and a new one built,» says the man.

Many residents, whose apartments more or less survived, had time to make repairs, not knowing what would happen next with the house. Nataliia, the owner of an apartment on the second floor, says that she spent 25 thousand hryvnias, but now these efforts have turned out to be useless.

Oleksandr Kholodnyi shows the condition of his apartment. Photo NikVesti

Oleksandr Kholodnyi shows the condition of his apartment. Photo NikVesti

«I hired people three times to do repairs for me, I paid ₴25 thousand. This is due to the fact that for a long time they could not tell us what would happen to the house. Apparently, people have already started repairing apartments, but in vain,» the woman complains.

NikVesti publication turned to the housing and communal services department of the Mykolaiv City Council to find out how the issue of dismantling the building with its residents is resolved and whether it is possible to restore it. Deputy director of the department Ihor Nabatov explained that the decision of the executive committee of the city council from June 14 is not final, as the final verdict depends on the residents of the building.

«According to Resolution 474 of the Cabinet of Ministers of 2022, the final decision rests with the owners. Therefore, we have done everything related to the procedures performed by city services. Further, if people decide that they do not want to carry out dismantling, then no one will be able to do it,» said Ihor Nabatov.

Currently, the city council has prepared an appeal to apartment owners, and dismantling is considered as a recommendation after technological supervision.

Russian shells hit the house three times. Photo NikVesti

Dormitory rooms or modular houses: who and why can't get a housing certificate

One of the reasons why some of the residents of the building do not support the decision to dismantle it is its past status as an office building. As Ihor Nabatov explained, the houses at Aliaudy 1, 2, 3 were once reserved for a special school, later the state allowed residents to privatize the apartments. However, some of them failed to collect all the necessary documents. Accordingly, because of this, they cannot receive certificates for the purchase of a new home in case of dismantling the building. There are five such apartments left.

«We have such families who have not yet been able to privatize the apartments they have lived in for many years. Meetings were held with us, and such families are offered either resettlement in dormitories or modular houses. Well, our people are not satisfied, they said «thank you for not going to tents». Although in such a situation, you will be happy with a tent,» says the resident of the building Nataliia Vasiakina.

Ihor Nabatov confirmed that the residents of the building, who did not manage to privatize housing, are actually offered rooms in dormitories or modular houses from the «10 April» organization.

«Currently, these are opportunities in the form of providing rooms in dormitories, which we are actively restoring at the expense of the local budget and donor organizations. Also modular houses, which were offered to us by the «April 10» organization. There is such an opportunity to give them to people for ownership, not even for use, but for ownership. But the question arises where to put them,» says Ihor Nabatov.

Nadiia Stefarak, a resident of the building, shows the condition of the building 3 years after the shelling. Photo NikVesti

Refusal of dismantling: what to do for those who have already received a certificate?

Nataliia Vasiakina is still the only resident of the building who has already received a certificate and plans to buy a new home in the near future. The woman says she would like to stay in her home, where she has lived all her life, but understands the level of danger.

«There will be enough money to buy a normal home. But you understand that nothing can replace a native home. But in such conditions as we found ourselves, we must be happy for what we have,» says the woman with tears in her eyes.

Ihor Nabatov noted that even if the majority of the building's residents decide to refuse demolition, other residents will still have the opportunity to obtain housing certificates to purchase another home.

«When a person implements a certificate, he renounces his previous object. That is, in fact, when she implements the certificate, she will give up her property rights and it will no longer be necessary to obtain consent for dismantling from her. If she has not implemented her certificate, she is the full owner and should make all relevant decisions,» the management said.

This is how the house in Aliaudy looks like from the outside. Photo NikVesti

Another option: the house can be restored under a state program

Ihor Nabatov said that if the residents refuse to dismantle the building, they will try to submit the building for restoration under the state HOPE program. Since, according to experts, the restoration of the house is not economically justified and expensive, it cannot be done at the expense of the city budget.

«When we met with people, this information was not yet available. Our meeting takes place literally according to the preview of that week. And now the corresponding working group is being prepared, which will communicate with the working group under the Ministry regarding the implementation, well, first of all, the submission of the corresponding projects, and then the implementation of the corresponding repair projects,» he says.

The house can be restored under the state HOPE program. Photo NikVesti

Ihor Nabatov emphasized that the city authorities do not insist on dismantling the building, but primarily deal with the restoration of economically sound objects.

«It cannot be said that the city authorities said no and we put the cross on this building. But, unfortunately, it is at the end of the list for recovery. First of all, we restore those houses that are in better condition. But if we can do it with the help of the state budget, it will be great,» says the department.

Author: Olena Kozubovska, NikVesti

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