Here at Build Back, we understand that reconstruction is not just a post-war concept. Our team based in Kyiv is already witnessing recovery take shape, even as Russia continues to launch missiles and drones at Ukraine.
Who we are: Build Back Ukraine is a publication covering Ukraine's reconstruction from the ground up. We're based in Kyiv and writing for the people who need to understand it most: investors, policymakers, defense and infrastructure companies, and anyone with a stake in what Ukraine becomes next.
Our name – Build Back – is a nod to “Build Back Better,” the rallying cry that defined a generation of post-crisis recovery thinking in the U.S.
Why this matters? Attacks on Ukraine’s power grids left Ukrainians without heat and light during one of the coldest winters ever recorded. 3.7 million people are estimated to be internally displaced in Ukraine.
Ukraine needs energy. Water. Housing.
The numbers are staggering. This reconstruction project is estimated to cost at least $588 billion, roughly three times Ukraine’s GDP. Direct physical damage has now reached $195 billion, according to the UN, with housing, transport, and energy the hardest-hit sectors.
Why trust us? Because we’re in Ukraine, and because we’ve done this before. Our sister publication, The Arsenal, has been delivering actionable business reporting on Ukrainian and European defense tech and regulations for years. This reconstruction vertical is where that expertise meets the next phase of the war — the one being fought with contracts and capital.
And also, because there will be plenty of people looking to throw their money at reconstruction projects in Ukraine, but for our team, this is personal. We have been on the ground in Ukraine during the entire full-scale invasion, watching each residential building, bridge, railroad, hospital, and electrical grid get destroyed in front of us.
We look forward to delivering you reliable, helpful, exclusive information during this historic reconstruction project.
Best,
Tim Mak and the Build Back Ukraine team
