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Ukraine is preparing legislation that would introduce a special legal status for frontline territories, aiming to provide greater support to millions of citizens living near active combat zones.
According to Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Presidential Office, the issue was discussed during a coordination meeting with Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, government officials, and members of parliament.
"We must understand the reality in numbers: today, more than 6 million Ukrainians live along the line of fire across 10 regions. Despite daily enemy attacks and hundreds of thousands of damaged infrastructure facilities, these people have chosen to remain in Ukraine, work, and live in their communities," Budanov said.
He highlighted several key challenges facing frontline areas:
- protection of energy infrastructure;
- shortages in local government budgets;
- unequal support payments for internally displaced persons;
- insufficient safety guarantees for healthcare workers, educators, and utility employees.
To address these issues, the government plans to establish an interagency working group tasked with drafting a comprehensive law on the special legal status and regulation of activities in frontline territories.
"We are initiating the creation of an interagency working group to urgently develop a unified, comprehensive law on the special legal status and governance of frontline territories," Budanov stated.
He added that he expects swift cooperation between parliament and the government to adopt new rules for the functioning of frontline regions.
"People living so close to the front line must receive full support from the state," he emphasized.
Support measures under consideration
Earlier, Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko announced that Ukraine is preparing a broad package of incentives and benefits for businesses and residents in frontline regions.
According to government data, 86% of communities affected by hostilities are currently included in the official list of frontline territories.
In addition to tax and lending incentives, the government is considering granting local businesses "critical importance" status to help preserve economic activity and jobs in these heavily affected areas.
