Councillors are calling on the Ministry of Development and Kim to maintain Bashtanka’s status as a potential combat zone

The Bashtanka Town Council has written to the Ministry of Development and to Vitalii Kim regarding the status of the area as a potential combat zone. Photo: bashtanskaotg.gov.ua

The Bashtanka City Council has appealed to the Ministry of Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine and to Vitalii Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration. Councillors are asking that Bashtanka not be excluded from the list of potential combat zones.

This is stated in the appeal from the Bashtanka City Council, which councillors approved at a session on 1 June, according to NikVesti.

The appeal states that Bashtanka may be removed from the list of communities where hostilities may take place.

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«The issue of removing the Bashtanka urban community from the list of territories where hostilities may occur is currently under consideration. We consider such a decision to be premature, unfounded and inconsistent with the actual security situation in the territory,”»the appeal states.

The councillors pointed out that active hostilities took place in the Bashtanka area between 1 March and 11 November 2022. The villages of Kostiantynivka, Pisky and Khrystoforivka were temporarily occupied in March 2022. As a result, infrastructure and residential areas in these settlements have been damaged.

«A significant part of the community’s territory has been destroyed, and the reconstruction process is lengthy and resource-intensive,» the councillors noted in the appeal.

It is also noted that the territory of the Bashtanka urban community is currently in a zone of potential danger: it is located within a 100-kilometre zone of territories where hostilities are taking place or have taken place, or which are temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation. These territories are defined by a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers.

The councillors also justified their appeal by pointing out that the community’s territory lies within the strike zone of drones, cruise missiles and other aerial targets, some of which are in transit to other regions. Consequently, both civilian and critical infrastructure are under constant threat from falling debris, deviations in the flight paths of aerial targets and air defence operations.

«From the beginning of 2026 to the present day, according to information from the Bashtanka District Police Department, there have been 3 direct hits and 21 instances of munitions falling, resulting in the destruction of energy infrastructure facilities, real estate, including civilian buildings, housing stock, farm buildings and other structures located within the community’s territory,» the appeal states.

The councillors also noted that the damage to infrastructure and property indicates real security threats. They are therefore requesting that Bashtanka retain its status as a potential combat zone.

The councillors noted that removing communities from this list would have negative consequences. In particular, the city council argued that this would violate the principle of fair and proportionate distribution of state support for territories affected by hostilities. The town may lose access to state programmes for the restoration of damaged infrastructure and the ability to attract international donors. Social tensions among those affected may also rise.

Therefore, the Bashtanka City Council requests that the status of a potential combat zone be retained until security risks and the consequences of hostilities have been fully eliminated.

Appeal from the Bashtanka City Council to the Ministry of Development and Vitalii Kim. Screenshot of the city council’s decision

Appeal from the Bashtanka City Council to the Ministry of Development and Vitalii Kim. Screenshot of the City Council’s decision

Appeal from the Bashtanka City Council to the Ministry of Development and Vitalii Kim. Screenshot from the City Council’s decision

As a reminder, at its session on 1 June, the Bashtanka City Council approved the use of a grant from the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) — with financial support from the EU — for a project to restore water supply and wastewater treatment in Bashtanka. The amount to be raised is 5.5 million euros.