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Will ‘Khrushchev-era’ blocks of flats be demolished in Ukraine? The Rada has clarified the situation

Will ‘Khrushchev-era’ blocks of flats be demolished in Ukraine? The Rada has clarified the situation

22 April 2026, 16:00

Will ‘Khrushchev-era’ blocks of flats be demolished in Ukraine? The Rada has clarified the situation — Khrushchev-era and Stalin-era buildings in Ukraine

The ageing housing stock in Ukraine’s major cities is deteriorating rapidly, but the renovation of dilapidated Khrushchev-era blocks is being held up by the war, legal complications and the difficulty of relocating residents. Work on the legislation is currently underway in parliament – it will only be implemented in practice once the war is over.

This was announced by Olena Shulyak, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on the Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning, and Member of Parliament.

Will Khrushchev-era buildings be demolished in Ukraine?

According to Shulyak, parliament is not currently considering any plans to demolish buildings in the ageing housing stock.

“No one is planning to demolish anything. We are indeed actively working on a new housing policy, but the issue of renovation requires a separate legislative framework,” she explained.

The focus is primarily not on demolition, but on the renovation of housing. Moreover, this will only take place with the consent of the residents of these buildings.

What is planned instead of demolition

As the MP noted, current initiatives envisage comprehensive renovation:

modernisation of buildings;
renovation of entire neighbourhoods;
renovation of engineering and social infrastructure.

At the same time, each decision will be taken on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the technical condition of the buildings, energy efficiency and economic calculations. Demolition is possible only in exceptional cases.

“This option is permitted only when other methods of renovation are impossible,” emphasised Shulyak.

How many such homes are there in Ukraine

According to estimates compiled before the full-scale war, Ukraine has:

over 30,000 properties in the dilapidated housing stock;
more than 10,000 of these are Khrushchev-era buildings.
In some cities, they account for up to 50% of the housing stock.

The latest draft law on this subject – No. 6458 – was only passed at first reading back in 2022. Since then, the document has required substantial revision. It is now planned to be put out for public consultation, as approaches to housing policy have changed due to the war.

Parliament emphasises that decisions on the renovation of dilapidated housing will only be made following extensive discussion, taking into account the views of communities and experts.

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