Iliuk supports the legal closure of three nurseries, but promises not to back the sale of these buildings afterwards: «This is to keep the children safe»

Artem Iliuk supports the closure of three nurseries in Mykolaiv, but opposes their privatisation. Photo: NikVesti archive

Artem Iliuk, a member of Mykolaiv City Council, has stated that he may support the legal closure of three nurseries proposed for closure due to a lack of shelters, but says he will not support the subsequent privatisation of these buildings.

He spoke about this in a comment to NikVesti.

This concerns an initiative by the Mykolaiv Education Department to close kindergartens №104 (a nursery-kindergarten on Torhova Street in the Korabelnyi district), №128 (at the junction of Mariupolska and Pavlo Skoropadskyi streets) and №138 (on General Popel Street in Balabanivka). The reason is the lack of shelters and the impossibility of fitting them out. If the decision is approved at the city council session, these establishments will effectively cease to exist as nurseries.

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According to Iliuk, he generally does not support the closure of nurseries as educational institutions, but under the current conditions of martial law, the decision is justified by security considerations.

«You know that I never support the closure of nurseries as educational institutions. But there was a meeting of the education committee recently, and they showed the state this nursery is in. As far as I understand, it is currently impossible to properly care for children under martial law. In other words, there are no shelters here. If we see that a particular institution cannot ensure the safety of children and teachers, then we need to carry out reorganisations or mergers to transfer children to places where such safety can be provided,» said Artem Iliuk.

According to him, some of the decisions regarding the optimisation of the network are linked to a shortage of children and teachers, as well as the lack of adequate safety conditions. At the same time, the councillor emphasised that if a nursery is in good condition, it should not be lost as an educational facility, even in the event of legal liquidation or merger with another institution.

«We need to understand this: if there is a decent facility, a good nursery, even a small one, in good condition — and we simply need to transfer the children and wind it up as a legal entity by merging it with another — that is one thing. In that case, we will not allow this building to be privatised, because we all hope that peace will come and the children will return to the nurseries. But if it’s some sort of nursery where there were five children, where something is wrong and it’s impossible to provide decent conditions — then perhaps it would be easier to build a new one. That’s a different matter,» he said.

The councillor emphasised that he supports closure only if it is done for the safety of the children, regardless of the number of pupils.

«But the main objective is whether it is being done to keep the children safe. We will never support the privatisation of this building for anyone or anything other than to preserve it as a future nursery, when, I hope, children will return and there will be more of them in the city of Mykolaiv,» stated Artem Iliuk.

The last nursery in Mykolaiv was opened by Mayor Yuriy Granaturov. Photo: 24 October 2014, NikVesti archive

The last new nursery in Mykolaiv was opened back in 2014. This refers to Nursery №143 «Chaika» in the Namyv neighbourhood, which was officially opened on 24 October following a two-year renovation. The cost of the work amounted to around 17.5 million hryvnias from the city budget. The facility was positioned as modern — featuring energy-efficient solutions, a refurbished kitchen and medical equipment.

Since then, virtually no new nurseries have been built in Mykolaiv.

Over the course of two terms in office, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych repeatedly stated his intention to build a nursery in the Pivnichnyi neighbourhood. However, despite regular public promises and the inclusion of the project in various city plans, it never came to fruition.

The idea of building a nursery in Pivnichnyi first emerged back in 2013. Since then, funds have been allocated from Mykolaiv’s budget for the project, but they have not been utilised, and the work itself has never started. In 2017, funding was provided for the design of the facility, and at that time it was planned to complete construction by 2019, yet the construction phase once again failed to commence.

Subsequently, this project featured repeatedly as an election promise — notably in 2020. At that time, the start of construction was announced for 2021, but this deadline was not met either. In 2024–2025, Oleksandr Sienkevych returned to the subject of the nursery in Pivnichne, this time in the context of potential funding from Danish partners. At the same time, the project remains at the stage of negotiations and documentation adjustments, with no actual start to construction.