Restoring USUST together: joint efforts to bring the university back to life

On April 21, 2026, Rafael Kizhner, head of the municipal institution ‘Dotyk’ of the Dnipro City Council, along with representatives of the city authorities and the media had a working visit to the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies.  The meeting was another stage in the joint efforts to restore the university’s academic buildings, which faced significant damage as a result of enemy attacks. The most severe damage was recorded in the mechanical engineering building of the SEI ‘USUCT’, located on Naberezhna Peremohy, one of the university’s key centers for engineering education. As a result of drone and missile strikes, more than 1,500 windows were shattered (up to 90% of the glazing), leading to a temporary shift of  the educational process to an online format.

 

During the inspection, USUST Rector Prof. Kostiantyn Sukhyi emphasized that the most important fact is that no students or staff were injured during the attacks. He stressed that everything created by people can be restored if  there are collective and determined efforts.

 

Immediately after the destruction, the university, together with its partners, carried out urgent building preservation works: the territory was cleared, the premises were protected from precipitation, damaged openings were sealed with plastic sheeting and OSB boards, and the internal utility networks were preserved. The recovery effort was actively supported by lecturers, alumni, partners, and concerned residents of the city, with materials within the first hours after the attacks.

The university expresses its sincere gratitude to Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov and the Dnipro City Council team for their continued support, open communication, and efforts to find effective ways to assist the institution, which, despite being subordinated to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, has felt the support of the city.

 

During the visit, Rafael Kizhner noted that the scale of the destruction is so extensive that no single budget,  municipal, state, or university,  can cover it independently. For this reason, cooperation with international donors and foundations is playing a decisive role. The restoration of the building is already underway: three of its ten floors have been reglazed, and the work will continue throughout 2026.

 

The university also extends special gratitude to its international partners, in particular Global Empowerment Mission in partnership with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, as well as to other donors supporting the restoration of Dnipro’s educational infrastructure.