Borodino Territorial Community

History

The Borodino settlement territorial community of the Odesa region was formed in 2020 by merging one settlement and thirteen village councils of the eastern part of the former Tarutyne district. State road T-1644 passes near the settlement of Borodino and reaches the checkpoint through the Ukrainian-Moldovan border of interstate significance Lisne-Seits. To increase the flow of tourists from foreign countries, it is planned to reorganize the checkpoint from interstate to international.

There is a historical place on the territory of the Borodino community – the village of Lisne (known as Manzyr until 1945).

Manzyr was an estate belonging to the ancient Moldavian-Romanian boyar family of Sturdza. The house, where the boyar family of Sturdza lived, has been preserved in its original form. The winery, built in the twentieth century next to the historic house, did not destroy its originality. Nearby there is a school, in which a museum-monument was opened for tourists interested in the history of the area – a starting point for its further study.

The village of Lisne of the Bolhrad district, Odesa region is planned to be made the center of tourism of the Borodino settlement community. Near the village, there is a botanical reserve of state importance Staromanzyrskyi, a landscape reserve of local importance Dibrova Mohylevska, and a landscape reserve of local importance Dibrova Manzyrska. Also, there is a lilac grove and a forest that was planted by the countess. And in the center of the village, there is a large lake, which will become a place of rest for tourists. This lake and its surrounding area are still an almost unexplored tourist destination.

It is planned that the Tourism Center “Staryi Manzyr” of the Borodino community will become a participant in the “Wine and Taste Road” project of Ukrainian Bessarabia.

The project unites producers of local wines and traditional food products that provide ethno-gastronomic tourist services at their own locations and are linked into a single system of tourist and recreational routes passing through the territory of Ukrainian Bessarabia, Odesa region.

There are more than 15 Scythian mounds on the territory of the community. One of them is located near the settlement of Borodino, Bolhrad district, Odesa region. In 1912, a treasure was found there, which dates back to the beginning of the second half of the 2nd millennium BC.

There is a two-humped Scythian mound on the territory of the community, which is located not far from the village of Bohdanivka (the center of the community). It is planned to refine the space near the mound and arrange the entrance.

The main active tourist location in the Borodino community is the village of Frumushyka-Nova, which is actually a unique tourist attraction and an open-air historical-ethnographic museum complex in the south of Ukraine. This extraordinary site is actually located in an ecological reserve – the Budzhatskyi Steppe with its own flora and fauna.

Today, Frumushyka-Nova is known mainly as a tourist attraction or as a green tourism destination, a recreation camp for family vacations, but it can and should become a kind of historical-ethnographic active educational laboratory, because unique ethno-cultural monuments of at least eight population groups (Bulgarians, Gagauz, Jews, Moldovans, Germans, Slavs, Old Believers, Ukrainians) are concentrated here.

The community initiated the creation of the national natural park “Budzhatski Steppes” with an area of 9,729.7156 hectares (now the documents are awaiting signature by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy). In the future, it is planned to expand the territory of the national nature park to 16,600.00 hectares.

The flora and fauna of the community is being restored. The offspring of wild kulans have already been obtained. A steppe marmot appeared on the territory of the nature park.

Economy and Welfare

Agriculture is the priority branch of the community’s economy. 14 large agricultural enterprises and 16 farms and private enterprises operate on its territory.

Favorable conditions are being created for developing small business and attracting investors in the community, namely: land plots have been prepared for the organization of facilities processing plant and animal products, the placement of sewing workshops, the creation of a technology park, which will consist of production and service enterprises, as well as for the placement of a pig farm, a dairy farm, planting vineyards, etc. 

The community has at its disposal land plots that are potentially attractive for investment.

On the territory of the community, there are five communal enterprises, namely: “Borodino Center for the Safety of Citizens and Utility Services”, “Vesela Dolyna”, “Lisne”, “Hospodar”, and “Vysochanske 2”, whose activities are aimed at providing drinking water of appropriate quality, cleaning of natural springs and lakes, arrangement of rest areas in forests and near water bodies, restoration of protective forest strips, collection of solid household waste, and maintenance of street lighting.

To improve the operation of communal companies, it is necessary to install solar panels on the roofs and adjacent areas of communal buildings in order to increase energy independence in the community and reduce electricity costs. Therefore, the community plans to implement a project on the construction of a solar power plant with batteries, which will make it possible to provide artesian wells with a reliable, autonomous and cost-effective source of energy.

The community borders the Republic of Moldova from the village of Vysochanske to the village of Lisne, and also has two checkpoints. Therefore, the course of the community was aimed at cross-border cooperation in such areas as tourism development, agriculture, ecology.

As part of cross-border cooperation, in April 2023, the community took part in the First International HUB in the town of Ştefan Vodă, Republic of Moldova “From cross-border cooperation of communities of southern Ukraine and Moldova to integration into the EU”

And in September 2023, the community hosted the Second International Conference of the Bessarabian Technological Industrial Complex “Development of innovative, technological projects for the sustainable development of communities in the south of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova using ARCGIS software from ESRI, a US company” at the locations of the tourist complex “Frumushyka-Nova”.

The field of education works effectively in the Borodino community, which the community is trying to improve and ensure a high level of knowledge in education institutions. The community has 4 schools, 8 lyceums, 6 branches, and 18 preschools.

Since 2020, major renovation of the facade of the main building of the Petrivskyi Second Lyceum has been carried out.

In order to organize a safe educational environment in education institutions, the simplest shelters have been created.

There are safety classes in 6 education institutions.

The community’s Borodino Hospital is now at the stage of opening. Also, the Center for Primary Medicine provides medical care in the community. There are 3 doctors of general practice of family medicine, 2 doctors of general practice of family medicine, 3 dispensaries and 19  medical and obstetrical stations; and 2 more dispensaries are in the process of launching.

A stationary digital x-ray machine for 2 workstations was purchased and the room for its placement was renovated.

On January 19, 2024, the 21-bed HOUSE OF MERCY of the department of inpatient care for permanent or temporary residence of the communal Institution “Social Services Center” of the Borodino Settlement Council began to function in the community. The first residents have already settled there. 

Also, in 2023, the renovated Day Center for Socio-Psychological Assistance to persons who suffered from domestic violence and/or gender-based violence opened its doors. Currently, there are 5 internally displaced persons living in it. The Day Center can accommodate 25 people at the same time.

19 club institutions, 16 libraries and a children’s music school are fruitfully working in the field of culture on the territory of the community. There are also 4 folk groups: “Arsa”, “Souvenir”, “Veselodolynski Girls”, “Nadrichnianochka” and one exemplary group “Truby Blyshchat”.

There are 6 sports school branches in the community, where children can practice wrestling, handball, tennis, and football. In 2023, students of the sports school took part in international competitions “Cup of Denmark” and “Cup of Norway” where they won prizes.

Community and War

From the first days of the war, residents of the Borodino community rushed to defend their Motherland from russian aggression. A large number of community men today defend Ukraine in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Unfortunately, there are also fallen, captured and missing soldiers. The community has repeatedly provided financial assistance to the 3rd Assault Brigade and still supports it whenever possible. The residents of the community are not on the sidelines either.

Those residents of the community who cannot fight at the front today make every effort to help and support the Ukrainian military. They organized fairs and transferred the raised funds to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They also prepared food that was sent to the frontline.

People of the Community

Development Strategy

The community is focused on the development of the business environment, namely on the development of small and medium-sized businesses. Conditions have been created for attracting investors to the community, both from Ukraine and from foreign countries.

The community also works to strengthen cross-border relations between the border regions of the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine in order to improve the tourist potential of the community, attract investments from international foundations, preserve cultural heritage and develop the area.

Projects related to environmental protection and improvement of the ecological condition of the territory of the area are being actively developed.

List of Sources

• V. V. Otroshchenko, BORODINO TREASURE, Bessarabian treasure [Archived on May 9, 2016 in the Wayback Machine.] // Encyclopedia of the history of Ukraine: in 10 volumes / edited by: V. A. Smoliy (head) and others; Institute of History of Ukraine, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. — Kyiv: Naukova dumka, 2003. — Vol. 1: A — C. — p. 352. — ISBN 966-00-0734-5.
• The Community Development Strategy as approved by Decision of the session dated December 22, 2022 No. 376-VIII on the Development Strategy of the Borodino Settlement Territorial Community for 2022-2025
• K.A. Kravchenko. Manzyr. Essays. – Odesa; Printing House, 2011. – 112 p.
• Presentation materials© by Oleh Diakov, Candidate of Geographical Sciences, leading expert on ecological restoration of Rewilding Ukraine – “Main directions of projects on ecological restoration of natural ecosystems of southern Bessarabia on the territory of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova”