No electricity or water, yet still planning improvements? Authorities in Pokrovsk, facing an approaching enemy, have revealed their plans for 2025.

The city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, which is currently experiencing intense fighting leading to significant destruction, has questionable expenditures in its budget for 2025. For instance, the authorities have allocated tens of millions of hryvnias for improving public spaces, managing the water supply and sewage systems, as well as for the production and supply of thermal energy.

"Telegraph" examined the budget decision and discovered how the community's funds will be spent, which is under threat of either capture or blockade.

After the capture of Avdiivka in February 2024, the enemy made significant advances in the Donetsk direction. Consequently, its next target became Pokrovsk – a city referred to as the "western gate of Donbas." Due to continuous heavy shelling, the scale of destruction has been increasing month by month. By the end of December, Pokrovsk had essentially turned into a ghost town, with enemy drones constantly circling the streets and the sounds of cannon fire rarely ceasing. Most of the local population has evacuated to safer regions, although some people still remain in the city (on December 27, two elderly women were reported injured), and in the surrounding area (on December 28, a local resident with two children was evacuated from the village of Grishino, located 10 kilometers from the frontline).

According to the Pokrovsk City Military Administration, by the end of the year, 70% of residential buildings, 80% of social facilities, and 95% of industrial sites were either damaged or destroyed. "The city lacks electricity, gas, heating, and water supply," – states a message on the official website.

In light of such statistics, the plans for distributing the budget of the territorial community, which includes not only Pokrovsk but also other populated areas, seem strange. The financial document was approved by order No. 2360рг of the head of the Pokrovsk GVA on December 23, 2024. In particular, 29 million 299 thousand hryvnias is allocated annually for the production, transportation, and supply of thermal energy. An additional 73 million 108 thousand is to be directed towards the water and sewage management. These substantial sums raise questions about their appropriateness, given that the city's infrastructure is effectively destroyed, and it is unlikely that utility workers will gain access to it in the foreseeable future.

Moreover, the possibility of carrying out improvement activities in 2025, for which 34 million 42 thousand hryvnias is earmarked, also appears dubious. Although in spring and summer of this year, employees of the municipal enterprise "Multisectoral Communal Enterprise" were still actively working in Pokrovsk. For instance, they painted curbs in April, mowed the grass several times during the summer season, and planted and cared for flowers, as documented by "Telegraph" photojournalist Yan Dobronosov. However, since then, the frontline has moved so close to the city that questions about its existence have arisen, which also rules out the possibility of conducting any work within its territory.

Other questionable expenditures include the implementation of various socio-economic development measures for the area (without specifying which ones). A total of 6 million 638 thousand hryvnias is planned for this, along with another 1 million 79 thousand hryvnias (allocated for different fund administrators – the Housing and Communal Department and the Department of Financial and Economic Policy and Asset Management). Additionally, financial support for media outlets will cost the budget 14 million 558 thousand hryvnias.

Among the significant expense items for the next year are salaries for officials – 41.9 million hryvnias for the Pokrovsk MVA and an additional 19.2 million hryvnias for the Pokrovsk City Council. Measures for preventing and eliminating emergencies and the consequences of natural disasters will require 98.6 million hryvnias. The budget will allocate 146.9 million hryvnias for education, 15.2 million hryvnias for healthcare institutions, and 41.8 million hryvnias for the social sector.

"Telegraph" reached out to the leadership of the Pokrovsk City Military Administration for clarification on why the budget still includes expenditures for public improvement and utility services.

As previously reported by "Telegraph," by December 31, it was planned to repair the asphalt concrete road in the Pokrovsk district of the Donetsk region, with nearly 4 million hryvnias allocated for this purpose.