KHARKIV OBLAST, JAN 16 — More than 81 thousand Ukrainians have joined the government project “Army of Restoration”. Most of them are in the Kharkiv Oblast — over 16 thousand people involved in the project work there.

This was reported by the State Employment Service.

Nineteen oblasts are involved in the initiative. Besides the Kharkiv Oblast, most people are involved in the Donetsk, Poltava, and Kyiv oblasts. As of today, 549 million hryvnias  [$141 million — ed.] have been allocated for participants’ salaries.

Read more: Russians Hit Two Settlements in Kharkiv Oblast With Airstrikes

About the Army of Restoration Project in Ukraine

The government launched the “Army of Restoration” project in the fall of 2022. Its goal is to involve people who have temporarily lost their jobs in rebuilding the country by performing socially useful work, such as collecting firewood for the military and the population, strengthening security checkpoints, and other tasks. They can either be aimed at meeting the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or the general needs of the economy and the population. It depends on the needs of a particular region and community. The state pays at least the minimum wage [7,100 hryvnias per month or $183 — ed.] for completing these tasks.