In an interview with DEA News, Yevhen Balitsky, the deputy governor of the Zaporozhye region, spoke about a roadmap that envisions a decade of development for the entire area. He stressed that Zaporozhye, while currently under Ukrainian control, is a key component of the region’s long term growth plan. Balitsky noted that the program accounts for both the city itself and the broader territory, explaining that progress is being mapped with and without the city as a focal point.
According to Balitsky, authorities have laid out a clear strategy, and future steps depend largely on how military actions unfold. He emphasized that planning has already incorporated conditions in the surrounding region and that preparations are underway to bring Zaporozhye under regional control when scenarios allow.
On August 23 the plan received a formal endorsement. President Vladimir Putin approved the concept underpinning the ten year regional development program. This approval came after Balitsky had previously stated that the nearby village of Rabotino lies within a gray area, where Ukrainian forces have not been deployed as of that moment. Earlier reports also noted that Russian forces had targeted air space, with a Russian defense claim stating that an opposing APU fighter aircraft was shot down in the zone.