Tavriisk Territorial Community

History

Despite its young age, the history of Tavriisk reaches back into ancient times.

From the late 18th century, a lively road ran from the county town of Kakhovka to Oleshky and Kherson along the Dnipro. It was the main artery of all trade and economic relations in our region at the beginning of the 19th century.

On the territory of modern Tavriisk, “near the village of Chystenke” (Mala Kakhovka), there were peasant farms – the khutors Luhovyi and Terny (Soloviinyi Hai). These were true landowners on their land: they owned the land, worked it, continued ancient farming traditions, and fed the Tavria region, which was being settled and renewed by incoming people. But during the famine of 1921, the productive forces of the region were undermined. 

The first railway in the Tavria steppes appeared in 1942. The narrow-gauge section from Novooleksiivka to Novotroitske was ready by 1943, when the liberation of the Left Bank began. This line was used during the reconstruction of Tavria. Two German locomotives worked peacefully, restoring the economy of Kherson region. In honour of the dedicated work of the railway workers during reconstruction, one of these locomotives was placed on a pedestal in 1975 in the park near the Kakhovka station, founded in 1952 to receive cargo for the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant. The locomotive became the calling card of Tavriisk from the eastern side. 

The picturesque bays of the man-made sea, the longest North Crimean Canal in Europe, the ancient Scythian air infused with the aroma of grapevines and ripening grain fields, the rumble of the railway line, the business rhythm of modern enterprises, and the cosy, tidy streets – all this created a special microclimate of the young southern town before the beginning of the full-scale invasion by Russian occupiers.

Economy and Welfare

Since 2020, Tavriisk has become the centre of the community. 

Before the full-scale invasion, five communal enterprises operated in the Tavriisk community, providing water supply, housing and communal services, and other needs of the population. After the community merger, new structures for social, medical, and sports services for residents were created. In 2021, as part of the “Big Construction” programme, the bridge over the North Crimean Canal was reconstructed, and a modern “Lokomotyv” stadium was built.

In 2021, the first phase of the hospital complex reconstruction in Tavriisk was carried out using local budget funds.

Special attention is paid to preserving quality education and the teaching staff of Lyceum No. 2, where over six hundred children study, as well as preparing future schoolchildren through online groups at the “Dzhereltse” kindergarten.

An important direction remains social protection, within which programmes to support vulnerable categories of the population, orphans, and children deprived of parental care are implemented.

The community continues to develop veteran policy, providing support to servicemen, veterans, and families of fallen Defenders of Ukraine. In parallel, measures to support the state’s security and defence forces are in place. 

Significant work is also directed towards assisting internally displaced residents of the community, who now receive comprehensive services through a humanitarian hub in Kryvyi Rih: from legal, psychological, and medical assistance to employment support and provision of humanitarian resources.

To improve interaction with the population, a branch of the Administrative Services Centre has been created, providing access to administrative services according to the operational capabilities of state registries. 

As of 23.02.2022, 12 educational institutions, 4 preschool institutions with 2,207 children, and 1 arts school with 130 children receiving extracurricular education operated in the Tavriisk Community.

Before the full-scale aggression by the Russian Federation, 16 cultural institutions operated in the community: 3 cultural centres, 4 club-type institutions, 7 libraries, the Museum of the History of Tavriisk Town, and the Tavriisk City Council Arts School.

The Community and the War

The Tavriisk Community was captured by Russian Federation troops on 24 February 2022, the first day of the full-scale invasion

But the residents did not accept the occupation and took to peaceful protests against the Russian occupiers.

On 6 June 2023, Russian occupiers blew up the dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, causing the largest environmental disaster in Europe in the 21st century and leading to the dewatering of the Kakhovka Reservoir, on the bank of which the town of Tavriisk stands.

Supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine is a priority for the Tavriisk Town Military Administration. In 2025, the community allocated about 27.6 million UAH for the needs of security and defence forces. In addition, servicemen from the Tavriisk community received financial assistance amounting to over 1.16 million UAH. The community continues to contribute to Ukraine’s common Victory.

At the same time, the community has developed a Deoccupation Preparation Plan. It covers the restoration of residential infrastructure, the launch of medical and communal institutions, improvement of water supply quality, support for agricultural producers, and demining of agricultural lands. An important component of this plan is also strengthening social support – creating veteran spaces, expanding services for military families and people with disabilities.

Such an approach allows the community to systematically prepare for full recovery after deoccupation and provide residents with the necessary support today.

People of the Community

Today, the Tavriisk Town Military Administration is headed by Mykola Rizak. From April 2006 – Tavriisk Town Head.  

From 2016, Mykola Rizak worked on establishing the Tavriisk Urban Amalgamated Community.  His dream came true only after the local elections in October 2020. Currently, the Tavriisk Town Military Administration operates remotely in the city of Kryvyi Rih.

As part of the “Side by Side” programme in 2025, the Tavriisk Community signed two memoranda on mutual assistance with the Kamianka Community of Cherkasy Oblast.

Development Strategy

The priority of the strategic development of the Tavriisk community is recovery after deoccupation and creating conditions for the return of residents. First and foremost, the plan includes rebuilding residential buildings and infrastructure facilities, which will allow people to return home and restore normal life.

The community’s educational institutions are to resume operations in in-person format, preserving staffing potential while modernising the network of schools and kindergartens. In the health care sector, the primary task is to restore the operations of the Primary Health Care Centre, return personnel, and restore access to basic medical services.

In housing and communal services, the launch of critically important enterprises, including the “Tavriisk Vodokanal,” improvement of water supply quality, and restoration of sanitary improvements in settlements are envisaged. Support for the economy is also important: restoration of railway infrastructure, development of small and medium-sized businesses, return of trade services.

Separate attention is paid to the agricultural sector – demining and clearing lands, restoration of farming and homestead households, attraction of investments in new agricultural projects. Support for the social protection system will expand through the creation of veteran spaces, restoration of the Social Services Centre, and assistance to families with children and people with disabilities.

Among environmental tasks – reconstruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant and restoration of water management infrastructure, including irrigation systems. In the cultural sphere, the community will focus on restoring the activities of cultural institutions, cleansing public space from the consequences of occupation, and filling libraries with modern Ukrainian literature.

Sources

• Official Facebook page of the community facebook.com
• tavriysk.ks.ua/new
• Official website of the Tavriisk Community tavriysk.ks.ua/