Editor's note: This story was sponsored by U-LEAD (Ukraine – Local Empowerment, Accountability and Development Program), a partnership of the Ukrainian government and the European Union and its member states Germany, Poland, Denmark, and Slovenia, to support the establishment of a transparent, accountable and responsive multi-level governance system in Ukraine.
KULYKIVKA, Chernihiv Oblast – When 16-year-old Viacheslav Ponomarchuk returned from Germany in the summer of 2022, having previously fled Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he found himself with little to do and few places to go in his native village of Kulykivka, Chernihiv Oblast.
Russian troops had withdrawn from northern Ukrainian Chernihiv Oblast just a couple of months before, leaving the village with a new population of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and under continued threat from air attacks and artillery.
But one day after returning home, Ponomarchuk was invited to an event at the local library, where he discovered that a new co-working space had opened.
"For me, I mainly associated the library with something old and irrelevant, but this place completely changed my mind," Ponomarchuk told the Kyiv Independent. A modern co-working space had been set up in the village, a few months before the full-scale war, with support from U-LEAD – the Ukraine Local Empowerment, Accountability, and Development Program.
The program assisted the local authorities in transforming a Soviet-style library reading hall into a contemporary and well-equipped space for hosting events and workshops.
"We decided to make our library the most-visited place in the community," says Yuliia Posternak, the head of Kulykivka.
Their efforts were a success. Since the beginning of 2024, over 100 events have been held at the venue, attracting nearly 1,500 residents. In addition to creativity workshops for young people, adults, and the elderly, the co-working space holds events and lectures for local entrepreneurs, war veterans and their families, children with disabilities, and others.
"It's a place of unity with other people," says Ponomarchuk, who has become a regular visitor to the space.
Help from afar
Entering Kulykivka, one immediately notices the prevalence of bicycles. Everyone here seems to ride one – from little children pedaling frantically off to play with their friends, to adults and the elderly leisurely cycling to work, the post office, or a grocery store.
With only a few cars in the village, the roads appear wider than they actually are. Kulykivka has clean streets, white pavements and green alleys, and boasts small flower shops and cafes. It is now full of people selling vegetables and fruits, their market stalls packed with seasonable "sweet-as-honey" watermelons.
When there are no air raids, the village seems perfectly peaceful. But those moments are unfortunately rare, and no one here is able to forget about the war.
"Very often, we see missiles flying over our community towards various cities and towns in our country, bringing death and destruction with them," says Posternak.
While part of Chernihiv Oblast, which borders Russia, was occupied at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Kulykivka – which is located right in the heart of the oblast – became a transit point for thousands fleeing nearby war-torn settlements.
"Nearly 30,000 people fleeing the Russian war have passed through Kulykivka," Posternak says, adding that around 4,000, mostly elderly people, have remained in the community.
"There are four settlements that have been completely razed by (Russian) air attacks," Posternak says. "Too many lives have been shattered. Too much of what people worked for and built over a lifetime has been destroyed."
Fortunately, the Kulykivka territorial community of 13 settlements with its over 14,000 residents has not been left unaided.
"The world has heard about us, and we’re getting help from every continent. We have a lot of friends," Posternak says.
"Despite the ongoing conflict, international support is today opening up new opportunities for us.”
She recounts the story of a woman who, fleeing through Kulykivka to Europe, helped secure around Hr 1 million (about $24,000) from a municipality in Czechia after finding refuge there. The local authorities used the money to equip a bomb shelter in one of the community’s schools.
International donors have also supported Kulykivka with a Bobcat vehicle and several minibusses for local utility services and schools, and power generators and solar panels for educational and healthcare facilities. The latter are essential now, as Russia continues to attack Ukraine’s energy system, leading to frequent blackouts across the country.
"The primary task for the local authorities should be to provide quality basic services, including educational, medical, social, and administrative services," says Posternak.
"The international community lends us a helping hand here. Thanks to their support, we can continue to develop and improve these services, which means we can provide them at a higher quality."
Building unity
The reforms implemented under Ukraine’s decentralization efforts – a process granting more autonomy to local communities – have been crucial. After the territorial community of Kulykivka was formed in 2017, it gained the ability to apply for and utilize help from international donors.
"The decentralization reform was one of the best (reforms) to happen in Ukraine," says Posternak. "It gave us the freedom to manage our budget independently, to cut or to prioritize certain things."
U-LEAD has become the community’s most steadfast supporter, providing it with a total of Hr 13 million ($317,000), according to Posternak.
One of its first projects was a new Administrative Services Center, opened in Kulykivka with the help of U-LEAD in 2019. It allows locals to handle all necessary paperwork in a single modern location.
"This was crucial for us," says Olha Krupyna, head of the center. "The community had only just formed back then, and we didn’t have any experience. But they (U-LEAD) helped us visit the communities that had implemented such projects, and we (learned from) their experience."
The co-working space soon followed. It is the only space offering events for all ages, uniting them, which enhances its popularity among residents, says Inna Yanhol, the head of the space.
"Our village really needed such a place," says local singer Maryna Korobska, 29, who regularly attends workshops at the co-working space.
While the war might have unexpectedly drawn more people into the community, the space has become a focal point for social unity.
"Even more people are coming here today because, with everything that’s happening in the country, people don’t want to be apart – they want to be together," says Posternak. She’s also positive that Ukraine’s future should be in a united Europe.
"We’re on the path to the European Union, and the path will be thorny, difficult, and long,” she says.
"But the international community … will provide vital support on our journey toward integration into the EU."
Daria Shulzhenko
