Boratyn Territorial Community

Volyn`

Population:

The Boratyn territorial community is located in the Lutsk district of the Volyn region.

The total area of the territory is 282.65 km2.
The population of the community is 20,051 people.
Women: 10,488
Men: 9,563
IDPs: 614 people.

It includes 24 population centers and has its administrative center in the village of Boratyn.

History

Each village of the Boratyn community has its own unique history.

Festival in the Boratyn community dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence Source

From 1872 to 1947, within the boundaries of present-day Boratyn, there was a settlement called “Český Boratyn” because Czechs lived there. The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross – a former Evangelical-Reformation prayer house, built by Czech immigrants in 1907 – has survived to this day.

Also, a fortification structure of 1887-1890 – Boratyn Fort – has been preserved on the territory of the village.

The village of Hirka Polonka is a center of the Ukrainian insurgent movement and the Cossack community. In 1948-1950, the village was home to the Bandera hideout “Unit”, where the headquarters of the UPA-North under the leadership of Ivan Lytvynchuk “Dubovyi” was located. The building has survived to this day. Now it is one of the objects of the open-air museum “Kozatska Sich”, which was arranged by the community residents.

Open-air museum-museum "Kozatska Sich" Source

Also, in the village of Baiiv on the territory of the community, there is the only beekeeping museum in the Volyn region. The club-museum has more than 2.5 thousand exhibits. Here you can see with your own eyes the hives of log hive beekeeping, samples of natural beeswax, dozens of types of honey, honey ointment and balm. Baiiv also has Volyn’s first monument to the bee (2015).

Club-Museum of the History of the Village of Baiiv and Volyn Beekeeping Source

The village of Ratniv is home to Ukraine’s only completely snow-white church – the majestic Church of St. Paraskeva. In 1943, the Germans burned the village church. But in 1991, construction of a new church in Ratniv began and took 6 years. The church was named the same as the church burned by the Germans – in honor of St. Paraskeva.

Economy and Welfare

The German plant “Kromberg & Schubert Ukraine” is located on the territory of the community, which is a leading international manufacturer of electrical systems, cables and plastic components. The largest clients of the plant are BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz. The enterprise has been operating since 2005 and has created about 5 thousand jobs.

A sufficient amount of land resources has created favorable conditions for the development of the agricultural industry. There are two trading enterprises of the TM “Vilia” group on the territory of the community. The TM “Vilia” companies are included in Ukraine’s 100 top largest agricultural holding companies.

Individual entrepreneurs play a significant role in filling the local budget and creating jobs in the community. Compared to the average regional level of the number of individual entrepreneurs per 10 thousand population, the Boratyn rural community is significantly ahead of the region as a whole – by 1.6 times.

The community actively participates in international projects and attracts investments for development.

With the support of USAID, a project was implemented here to form an infrastructure for the implementation of a comprehensive and inclusive participatory budgeting system and to increase citizen involvement in the budget process.

With the support of SKEW, Engagement Global implemented the project “Safe Community: Video Surveillance System for Municipal Property of the Boratyn Village Council”. Its goal is to increase the level of public safety, security, and order, strengthen control over potential risk areas on a remote basis, and create safe and comfortable living conditions for community residents.

There is also the Center for Women’s Dialogue in the Boratyn community. Its goal is to create comfortable and safe conditions for self-realization and leisure for community residents, and provide consulting support for women. And within the framework of the USAID “Active Youth – Strong Community” program, they are working on creating active and influential youth councils and improving the influence of young people on decision-making in their communities.

Community and War

From the first days of the war, residents of the Boratyn community began to actively help the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In schools, kindergartens, and cultural centers, people gathered to weave camouflage nets and ghillie suits, cook food, and collect humanitarian aid.

Official website of the Boratyn community Source

Ladies from the Boratyn community sending delicious gifts to residents of the Donetsk region Source

The partner community of Sprendlingen-Hensingen (Germany) was very helpful with humanitarian aid. They sent medicine, children’s clothes, sleeping bags, thermal underwear and other clothing, mattresses, hygiene products, beds, power banks, walkie-talkies, charging stations. All humanitarian aid went to the IDPs who arrived in the Boratyn community and the military from the community who defend Ukraine.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the community has welcomed more than 2,000 internally displaced people. Currently, the community is home to more than 600 IDPs.

During the 2023 ARTilleria art festival, over UAH 700,000 was raised which was used to purchase 3 cars and drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Transfer of drones and vehicles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine Source

Assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine is a priority for the community. In 2024, UAH 100 million was allocated from the community budget for the needs of the army.

Community People

The head of the community is Serhii Yaruchyk. By education, Mr. Yaruchyk is a teacher of the Ukrainian language and literature. Before becoming the head, he had worked at a school for 12 years. He took up the position of village head in 2002, and since then, local residents have trusted him to be their leader year after year. And this is not without reason, because thanks to his effective management, the community was able to achieve this level of development.

The village head considers people to be the main value of the community. That is why special attention is paid to the development of infrastructure, medicine, social policy, education and culture. All projects implemented in the community are aimed at creating the most comfortable conditions for residents, so that they would want to stay and live in the Boratyn community.

During Serhii Yaruchyk’s term in office, the community modernized the Administrative Services Center, created a speech therapy center, where specialists provide free assistance in correcting speech defects for children, modernized the heating system of the community’s social infrastructure institutions, created a women’s space, installed a video surveillance system for the communal property of the Boratyn Village Council, and created a modern outpatient clinic.

The head of the community visiting the “Reboot” camp, organized by the youth council Source

The Boratyn community is known for its festival traditions.

This year alone, the community held a theater festival “Stage Patterns,” a budget-themed festival “Money-fest,” and an Independence Day festival “Patriotic Performance Fest.” The festivals also have a charitable component, as community residents raise funds for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Development Strategy

The community has developed a draft development strategy until 2027. The strategic vision for the development of the Boratyn rural territorial community will be achieved through the implementation of three strategic goals:

Competitive community economy.
Development of human capital and improvement of the quality of life of community residents.
Sustainable development of the territory.

Partnership agreement with the Chornomorsk community and the Jurbarkas community (Lithuania) Source

The Boratyn community is open to partnerships. The community has already established cooperation with the commune of Wisznice (Poland), Langford (Canada), and the municipality of Sprendlingen-Gensingen (Germany). They were the first to come to the aid of the community’s residents in the first days of the full-scale invasion.

Boratyn community and Sprendlingen-Gensingen municipality signed a partnership agreement Source

The community also cooperates with Ukrainian partners, including the Obroshyno community of the Lviv region. It also has a tripartite agreement on cooperation among the Boratyn community, the Chornomorsk urban territorial community of the Odessa region, and the Jurbarkas urban community of the Republic of Lithuania.

Boratyn community has started cooperation with the Wisznice commune Source

The Boratyn community is a dynamically growing community that has united creative, talented, active people with a clear civic position. The community is open to innovative solutions, new businesses and new residents, creating conditions for the self-realization of residents, their recreation and comfortable living. The Boratyn community is people who are moving forward!

List of Sources

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