Odessa has received a state loan to address urgent city needs. Since the beginning of 2023, the city's budget has lost over 3.9 billion hryvnias as these funds were redirected to the state budget. Community expenditures have risen by 29%, while revenues have only increased by 14%. 

During the war, the city budget is directing significant resources towards recovery efforts, establishing shelters, providing social support to residents, and assisting military personnel and internally displaced persons. 

These expenses are mandatory and continue to increase each year. To prevent a collapse in other areas of life, the city council has decided to pursue local borrowing. 

The Ministry of Finance has approved this, and Odessa will receive a loan of 623.4 million hryvnias from the state bank this year. 

These funds will be allocated to 70 urgent projects, including:

• «Healthcare» – 186.9 million hryvnias (modern equipment for hospitals, repair of engineering networks at the infectious disease hospital);
• «Education» – 81.7 million hryvnias (shelter arrangements, modernization of protective structures, fire safety measures);  
• «Road Management» – 125 million hryvnias (repair of streets, bus stops, and key overpasses); 
• «Housing and Communal Services» – 220.7 million hryvnias (capital repairs of stormwater collectors, coastal protection works, upgrading drainage systems and elevators. Additionally – 110 million hryvnias for connecting cogeneration machines to ensure energy resilience of critical infrastructure); 
• «Civil Protection» – 9 million hryvnias (purchase of specialized equipment for rescuers). 

This is not development for the «future», but rather addressing pressing problems that are essential for normal life in Odessa during the war: from heating and water supply in homes to accessible healthcare, safe schools, and readiness for emergencies.