The World Bank has begun work to restore the economy of Donbas.

Satu Kahkonen, World Bank Country Director for Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine, said this in an interview with the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia online media outlet.

“The World Bank has started to develop a model for the economic recovery of Donbas. We want to better understand which development paths are suitable for different regions of Donbas - Donetsk and Luhansk. We hope that the results of our work will become the basis of the development strategy of Donbas, which will be worked out by the government of Ukraine," she said.

According to her, the World Bank’s experience in other post-conflict countries indicates that, in addition to infrastructure, there is a need to provide quality public services, improve the work of local authorities and create a healthy social environment.

As known, the war in Donbas was caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine after the Ukrainian Crimea was annexed by Russia in the spring of 2014. Now part of Donetsk and Luhansk regions are not under control of the Ukrainian government.

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