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Bucha Territorial Community
Kyiv
Population:
The Bucha Territorial Community is located in the territory of the Bucha District of the Kyiv Region.
The total area of the territory: 261.45 km2
Population: 75,282 people (as of 01 January 2022)
Men: 21,351 people (as of 01 January 2022)
Women: 24,980 people (as of 01 January 2022)
Internally displaced persons: 8,395 people (as of 01 January 2023)
The community includes 14 settlements – 2 urban-type settlements and 11 villages, with the administrative centre in the town of Bucha.
History
The settlement of Bucha was mentioned for the first time in the written sources in 1630 as the village of Yablunka located on the left bank of the Bucha River. It belonged to Polish nobleman Liasota, who had received these lands from Count Potocki for his heroism in military service.
A building in the style of a knight’s castle has survived to this day – the dacha of Stamm, an adviser to the board of the Kyiv-Kovel railway company.
People have lived on the banks of the Bucha and Irpin rivers since ancient times. This is evidenced by archaeological and paleontological finds. For example, in 1952, fragments of ceramics dating back to the 11th century B.C. were discovered. There are also finds dating back to the end of the Bronze Age. During the development of the quarry between Yablunka and Vorzel at a depth of 15 meters, the skull and bones of a woolly rhinoceros were found. They are 10-30 thousand years old.
The time of the first permanent settlement in the territory of present-day Bucha has not been precisely determined. Prehistoric tools and weapons found in the territory of Bucha belong to the Trypillia culture. They are displayed at the Bucha local history museum.
The highlight of the community is a large number of parks, squares, alleys and historical landmarks.
There are also many monuments in the territory of the community. One of these is a monument to the Soldiers – “Afghans” in the form of military equipment. During the occupation in 2022, russian troops shot this exhibit because they mistook it for a working tank (video).
A memorial to those who died during the russian occupation of the town was recently unveiled. It displays the names of 501 town residents who have been identified.
Economy and Welfare
The economic potential of the Bucha Urban Territorial Community is represented by its instrument-making and woodworking industry, logistics centres, construction and transport organizations.
The Bucha Territorial Community has experts in the fields of construction, logistics (railway and road connections), aircraft construction (ANTONOV cargo airport), engineering (pipes, equipment for nuclear power plants, etc.), forestry, landscape design, and local tourism.
A specialized ecological enterprise for the collection, procurement and processing of solid household waste operates in the territory of the community. The company is the flagship of separate collection and disposal of waste in the Kyiv Region and a leader in the market for the processing of secondary resources. During the occupation, the enterprise was in the epicentre of hostilities and was damaged.
The Bucha Regional Development Agency (BRDA) was established to develop the Bucha Techno Garden priority development area project in the territory of 3,433 hectares.
In 2021, the community implemented energy saving projects in educational and medical institutions, started building three iron removal stations using the latest technologies, and built an Academy of Sports modern inclusive sports complex.
Also, after the occupation, the Dia.Business Entrepreneur Support Centre resumed its work. The goal of the project is to increase the level of registered businesses, provide advice on marketing, sales or taxation, product testing, etc.
Community and War
During the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine, the entire territory of the community was occupied during the first days. In February – March 2022, russian troops carried out a mass killing of civilians in Bucha, which became known as the Bucha Massacre. In March of the same year, the town of Bucha was awarded the honorary title of the Hero Town of Ukraine for its feat, mass heroism and resilience of its citizens in the defence of their towns during the repulse of the armed aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine.
The first to meet the convoy of russian military equipment heading for Kyiv via Bucha were its ordinary residents. They set up an ambush right in the middle of private estates and high-rises. Not everyone survived that battle. Volodymyr Kovalskyi, a veteran of the anti-terrorist operation, a fighter with prostheses, had time to fire only a few bullets in the direction of the invaders and was killed by enemy fire. “He had gunshot wounds. He was shot in the chest and head. Several bullets. From the convoy. They attacked him from that side. And, having no legs, he couldn’t even leave”, – say the people in Bucha. This ambush set up by volunteers delayed the movement of russian military equipment across Bucha and allowed to gain time for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which were already on their way to meet the enemy and finished off most of the vehicles at the exit of the town.
The town of Bucha became known for the large number of victims and destroyed buildings. The Bucha Urban Territorial Community was under occupation for 36 days. According to preliminary data, 501 civilians died during the period of occupation.
As a consequence of active hostilities, more than 3,000 buildings were damaged, and about 200 private houses, a kindergarten, a hypermarket and other facilities were completely destroyed.
According to Rebuild.UA, about 33,000 residents of the community suffered losses, accounting for 45% of the total population of the community.
More than 8,500 internally displaced persons have been registered in the community since 2014. The community is looking for ways to rebuild more than 3,000 damaged facilities, 90% of which are residential, to create conditions for recovery, development and launch of new businesses, to build 2 new modern schools and 5 kindergartens, a new multidisciplinary hospital.
According to KSE and Rebuild.UA experts, the direct losses of the community amount to 254.5 million US dollars, and the direct and indirect losses from military operations in the territory of the community, according to preliminary estimates, amount to 661 million US dollars.
People of the Community
Anatolii Fedoruk (50 years old) is the Head of the Bucha Urban Territorial Community.
He has been the mayor of Bucha since 07 April 1998. Under his leadership, the settlement acquired the status of a town of regional importance, became the centre of a large community and changed its appearance thanks to the development of its infrastructure.
Anatolii Fedoruk remained in the town during the entire occupation of the Kyiv Region. The mayor helped put out fires, tried to organize work during the hostilities, and brought products for baking bread.
Under the leadership of Anatolii Fedoruk, two modern schools, a music school, a leisure centre for schoolchildren and the Ukrainian National Plast Centre were built, 5 schools with a total capacity of more than 5,200 students were modernized, 4 new kindergartens were opened, 6 outpatient clinics were created and renovated, the Bucha Water Services Company was created, and a municipal landscape park was organized.
Universitas think-tank named Bucha the first among the small towns of Ukraine in terms of quality of life according to all the indicators.
In 2022, during the occupation of Bucha by russian troops, Anatolii Fedoruk stayed in the town, organized evacuation and humanitarian aid to the population. He is currently implementing the VDOMA KRASHCHE recovery program, stimulating the return of Bucha residents to their homes.
Anatolii Fedoruk has also been included in the ranking of the 15 most effective mayors of Ukrainian towns.
Development Strategy
Bucha is an active member of the Association of Cities of Ukraine. The town is actively developing partnerships with EU cities.
The Bucha Community has approved documents such as the Development Strategy of the Bucha Urban Territorial Community until 2029, the Brand of the Bucha Community, the Digital Development Concept of the Bucha Urban Territorial Community for 2022-2025.
The priority areas of the community include the reconstruction of destroyed facilities, medical institutions, logistics (connection with the railway and ANTONOV cargo airport), IT, scientific and educational projects, construction of roads and new infrastructure, festivals and cultural events, development of Olympic sports.
The town of Bucha became known for the large number of victims and destroyed buildings. After liberation from the russian invaders, who controlled the community for 36 days, all the settlements are gradually recovering. The goal is to return all the residents home, and for this purpose the Bucha Town Council approved the VDOMA KRASHCHE local program, which implies a number of measures to restore and develop infrastructure over 2022-2027.
The strategic areas of development include comfortable conditions for living: safety and recovery, creation of adequate infrastructure, development of social infrastructure and services, creation of an active public environment. Local economic development involves promoting the development of agro-industrial production in the territory of the community and creating good conditions for businesses and attracting investments.
The community is looking for ways to rebuild 3,000 damaged buildings, restore destroyed infrastructure, build 2 modern schools and 6 kindergartens, a new multidisciplinary hospital, a modern sports complex, tidy up the town centre, develop the Memory project, and also update the community development strategy to fully restore the economic potential of the region and previously planned projects.