This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Rukshyn Territorial Community
Chernivtsi
Population:
The Rukshyn community is located on the hills near the Dniester River in the Chernivtsi region, the western part of Ukraine. The total area of the community is more than 108 square kilometers. The Rukshyn community includes 6 rural population centers.
As of January 1, 2024 the population of the community was 5,883 people.
Men: 2,472
Women: 2,832
Internally displaced persons: 61.
History
The administrative center is the village of Rukshyn. The first mentions of the village date back to 1456. Rukshyn is located among forests in a deep bowl of a valley. That is why this area attracted settlers since ancient times: there was enough land for cultivation and grazing, enough firewood for heating, water and places for hunting.
The most famous attraction of the village of Rukshyn is the hydrological natural monument – “Shyroka Krynytsia” (Eng. “Wide Well”). It has an eternal spring: more than 300 liters of pure mineralized water flows from it in one minute. This water is always cold on the hottest day, and never freezes in winter, even in the most severe frosts. Even in dry years, the water in it stays at the same level, and its excess flows in a small stream to the Puhachivka River.
Now the community is looking for financial opportunities for the reconstruction of the old cover and the arrangement of a place for recreation.
Economy and Welfare
The Rukshyn rural territorial community is a tiny one and only micro and small businesses operate on its territory: 168 individual entrepreneurs and 48 legal entities, including 4 agricultural enterprises and 7 farms. Their main areas of activity include: cultivation of grain and leguminous crops, stone crops, orchards. Recently, agricultural enterprise “Zlahoda”, in addition to the cultivation of grain and leguminous crops, opened a new field of activity – the cultivation of poultry, namely turkeys.
The community has a well-developed educational network, which consists of 4 institutions of general secondary education and 3 children’s preschool institutions. The largest school in the community is the Rukshyn Lyceum, where 486 children study.
The community has a central football stadium in Rukshyn and a large sports hall in the school in the same village. Most villages have children’s playgrounds.
In 2021, three villages of the Rukshyn community received new playgrounds within the framework of the “Decentralization Brings Better Results and Efficiency” (DOBRE) Program, implemented by the international organization “Global Communities” and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
In 2023, having taken part in the project “Unification of communities – for sustainable economic growth (ConCom4EG)”, with the support of the EU within the framework of the “Measures for Economic Growth” initiative, which is implemented by the Bukovyna Community Development Agency, the Rukshyn territorial community received sewing equipment. A professional sewing workshop is arranged in the Rukshyn Lyceum as part of the network of Centers for professional and creative development, where professional training is provided for high school students, local youth and IDPs.
The medical network of institutions consists of 2 dispensaries of general practice of family medicine and 4 paramedic and midwifery centers.
Three cultural institutions are actively functioning in the community. They organize thematic evenings. There are 14 amateur groups, 10 of which are children’s groups. The premises of the Rukshyn House of Culture are undergoing major renovation. A small museum operates in the Rashkiv school, even though it does not have official status as such.
The unification of villages into one community gave impetus to the initiation of new traditions. One of these is the “YUSHKA FESTIVAL” (Eng. “SOUP FESTIVAL”), a fest devoted to an ancient Ukrainian dish. The starostas of the community’s villages, as well as the head, deputy head and all those willing residents can demonstrate their culinary skills here. And an independent jury selects the winners.
The festival took place on the banks of the Dniester River in 2021, but is currently not held due to the full-scale war.
The pride of the community is the public utility company of the village council “Rukshyn Service”, which is equipped with the necessary special equipment to provide services to residents of Rukshyn and neighboring communities.
The territory of the community has all the prerequisites for the development of green tourism and the creation of new modern attractions. The community is interested in the development of tourism.
Prospective attractions can include: the territory on the banks of the Dniester – for children’s summer recreation, the organization of camping for groups rafting on the river, a fisherman’s house, etc.
Community and War
On February 24, 2022, the full-scale war divided the life of the community into “Before” and “After”. About 150 residents of the community were mobilized to the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. From the first day of the war, Oleh Horbatiuk, the head of the community, stood up for the defense of Ukraine.
As of today, the community has lost 14 of its soldiers in the war. There are also missing and wounded defenders. In memory of the fallen soldiers, a memorial was opened in the Rukshyn community.
At the beginning of the war, the residents of the community worked non-stop to shelter and provide the necessary assistance to about 1,000 internally displaced persons.
The community actively works for the front and Victory – people donate, cook delicious homemade food and send it to the front along with other things necessary for Ukrainian defenders. In total, about 100 trips were made by the volunteers of the Rukshyn community to different directions of the front line.
People of the Community
Oleh Horbatiuk is the head of the Rukshyn community. He is a participant in the anti-terrorist operation and a man who again stood up for the defense of his Motherland on the first day of the full-scale invasion without hesitation.
For the first time, Oleh Horbatiuk was elected head of the community in 2015, and was re-elected to this position in 2020. He is the permanent head of the Rukshyn community.
During his tenure, many works were carried out that required immediate resolution. The Rukshyn community was one of the first to be formed in the Chernivtsi region. Thanks to the systematic and coordinated work of Oleh Horbatiuk, the community demonstrated to all others the advantage of unification and the ability to independently solve local problems and organize life.
Under the head’s leadership, capital repairs of social, educational and cultural facilities were carried out and street lighting was arranged.
Development Strategy
In 2017, the development strategy of the Rukshyn Territorial Community was prepared for the first time with the help of the specialist of the Center for the Development of Local Self-Government Oleksii Hrushko. Subsequently, in 2021, the document was updated as part of cooperation with the DOBRE Program. So, on November 18, 2021, at the session of the village council, the updated Strategy of Sustainable Development of the Rukshyn Territorial Community for 2021-2029 was approved.
– The main strategic goals of the community:
– Development of tourist potential and entrepreneurial activity
– Ensuring comfortable living and improving the quality of public services
– Improvement of the ecological situation
