A prosthetics and orthotics laboratory has been opened in Kharkiv at the University Hospital of the National Medical University. The facility will provide patients with a wide range of services (from physical therapy and psychological support to prosthetics and orthotics), according to Oleg Synyegubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration.
“At the initial stage, the laboratory will serve about 10 patients per month, and after full launch, up to 25,” Synyegubov wrote on his Telegram channel.
According to him, this includes the manufacture of temporary and permanent prostheses and orthoses, their adjustment, testing, and maintenance; integration into the patient’s clinical pathway—from acute condition to full or partial rehabilitation; consultations on biomechanics and restorative medicine.
In addition, it is planned that the laboratory will become a practical base for training new specialists and improving the qualifications of doctors.
Synyegubov noted that this project was implemented in cooperation with the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Kharkiv has signed a memorandum with the European developer Ten Brinke Group B.V., Mayor Igor Terekhov said on his Telegram channel.
“Every day we are working on the restoration of our city – we do not postpone what can be done now. And this strategy is clear to our partners. One of the important steps on this path is the signing of a memorandum of cooperation with Ten Brinke Group B.V., one of the most efficient European developers with over 120 years of experience,” Terekhov said.
According to him, this Dutch company is already helping Kharkiv for free.
“It has a unique experience in creating high-quality social housing that Kharkiv residents need and which perfectly matches our vision of the future. Albert ten Brinke, CEO and Chairman of the Board, also confirmed that we are on the right track. We are not just dreaming of rebuilding, but creating conditions for Kharkiv to have everything it needs for quick and high-quality reconstruction after the war,” Terekhov emphasized.
Raiffeisen Bank (Kyiv) has opened its first underground branches in Kharkiv and Dnipro, the bank’s telegram channel reported on Friday.
As specified, the underground branches will operate on the basis of existing ones and will serve customers in case of an air alert. Customer service is already available through a separate entrance leading to the underground premises.
“Underground workplaces allow us to ensure continuity of customer service even in the event of air raids. This is especially important in cities that are subject to constant shelling, which is why branches are forced to stop working on the surface for a rather long time,” Artem Nidzelsky, Retail Business Director of the center of the bank’s southeastern region, said in a statement.
According to him, the continuous operation of the branches allows to support local businesses and provide access to financial services. This, in turn, helps to minimize economic losses for entrepreneurs and the population.
“It is also extremely important that the new initiative creates safer working conditions for employees, allowing them to work more confidently and with less stress,” emphasized Nizelsky.
Underground branches provide all banking services as well as traditional branches, including account opening, deposits, lending, customer consultations and cash payments.
Raiffeisen Bank explained that the first underground bank branches appeared in cities located near the hostilities and constantly under fire. The number and duration of air raids in these cities is increased, customers have limited access to offline services and frequent problems with stable communication.
This step is expected to help maintain economic stability in the frontline regions, preserve customer confidence and provide a sense of stability and security when using banking services, which is especially important in wartime.
In the future, the bank plans to open separate underground branches in Kharkiv, Dnipro and other frontline cities.
France has sent 41 power generators to Kharkiv and Chernihiv, whose energy infrastructure has been severely damaged by Russian strikes, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.
“France supports the Ukrainian people. We have sent 41 power generators to Kharkiv and Chernihiv, whose energy infrastructure has been severely damaged by Russian strikes,” the Ministry said in a statement on social media site X.
The construction of the first underground school in Kharkiv has been completed and will be open to students by the end of this school year, the press service of the Kharkiv City Council reports, citing Mayor Igor Terekhov.
“The building is built to the highest safety standards, has 20 classrooms and is designed to accommodate 900 students in two shifts. Enrollment for the next school year is almost complete. Already this year, 600 children will sit down at their desks,” Terekhov wrote on the social network X on Tuesday.
According to him, similar schools are planned to be built in different parts of the city. “We plan to continue building similar schools in other parts of the city to ensure that all our children have equal access to quality and, most importantly, safe education,” Terekhov said.
As of 10:00 a.m. on December 19, Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest telecom operator, restored high-speed mobile internet in the Kyiv subway, and earlier mobile internet was restored in the Kharkiv subway, the company’s press service said on Tuesday.
“The My Kyivstar information system has been restored, where subscribers can view their account balances. Kyivstar’s telecom network has almost entered the stabilization period,” the statement said.
On the territory controlled by Ukraine, 99% of the base stations are in working order, and all basic services are available to customers: communication and mobile Internet services, SMS, international voice roaming services, etc., the mobile operator’s press service said.
In addition, Kyivstar stores have restored most services.
It is noted that Kyivstar continues to improve the Home Internet service in Kyiv and a number of other places, and also plans to gradually remove restrictions on mobile Internet speeds in the near future.
“Kyivstar specialists are working on the launch of high-speed mobile Internet in roaming and plan to launch this service for Ukrainian subscribers in Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland and a number of other countries in the near future,” the company said in a statement.
To stabilize the services, the company has engaged all available technical staff, as well as international partners from Sweden, Ireland, the United States, China, Finland and other countries, the press service said.
Earlier it was reported that Kyivstar expects to achieve full stabilization in the provision of services by the end of the week.
After a failure in the early morning hours of December 12 caused by a large-scale cyberattack, Kyivstar began restoring voice services in the evening of December 13, the company’s mobile Internet service started working again in some regions a day later, and the company announced its full restoration in the country on the evening of December 15.
On December 17, Kivestar resumed providing voice services, including roaming, mobile data, Home Internet, virtual private network (VPN) services and started restoring access to M2M (Machine-to-Machine) services for business customers. Kyivstar restored access to SMS services, including international roaming, and M2M services on 18 December.
