Ukraine is preparing for a fifth difficult winter under hostile fire. But for the cities and communities closest to the front, the greatest danger is not simply losing electricity or heat. It is the continued loss of people, businesses and economic life — the foundations without which there can be no meaningful recovery.
As chair of Ukraine’s Association of Frontline Cities and Communities of Ukraine, representing more than 300 communities in the direct midst of the conflict, I see three interconnected challenges that will determine not only how we get through this winter, but what kind of country emerges from this war: energy security, economic resilience and poverty.
