The government of Denmark will provide €40.2 million in reconstruction aid to Mykolaiv to help the damaged Ukrainian city repair its heating infrastructure to cope with the coming winter.
The funds will also buy 40 mobile heating boilers to help the city cope with the cold, and they will contribute to European Investment Bank (EIB) programs to bolster the local social infrastructure and pay for reconstruction of civil institutions, the Danish government announced.
The money comes as part of the Danish government's plan to focus its Ukraine reconstruction aid on Mykolaiv, a port city and transport hub of about 400,000 residents on the Black Sea. The country also announced it will contribute 1.2 billion Danish kroner ($173 million) in grants and loans to the reconstruction of Ukraine next year, mainly to Mykolaiv.
Under the plan, called "a model for Ukraine's post-war recovery" by the blog of the Kennan Institute of the US Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Denmark also opened a diplomatic office in Mykolaiv last month. The office is, in part, meant to help coordinate the efforts of Danish companies seeking work on the reconstruction.
The Kennan Institute blog said the Danish aid for Mykolaiv is exemplary for its transparency as well as for its rapid response to local needs as they arise, such as supplying firefighting equipment as wildfires break out and water pumps after a Russian bombardment damaged the water infrastructure.
"The provision of such aid follows one of many available templates but is perhaps most gratifying to Ukrainians as it demonstrates real help and eliminates the risk of corruption around foreign aid," the blog wrote.
