Ivanivka Territorial Community

Chernihiv
Population:

The Ivanivka Community is a rural area located 30 kilometres away from Chernihiv and 160 kilometres away from the capital of Ukraine.

The total area of the Community is 4,137.08 square kilometres.
The Ivanivka Community is located in the northern part of Ukraine.
The Ivanivka Community includes seventeen rural localities.
The population of the Community totals 6,861 residents.

Men: 3,177 residents;
Women: 3,864 residents;
Internally displaced persons: 153 people;

History

The Ivanivka Rural United Territorial Community was formed on December 30, 2016.

Starosta-headed districts have been created in the Community: Kolychivskyi, Slobidskyi, Ladynskyi, Krasnianskyi.

In 2020, two Starosta-headed districts were formed by being included in the Ivanivka Village Council.

The village of Ivanivka was first mentioned in written sources in 1635. The oldest name of the village was Petriv Korin; the name was left to the settlement by the Chernihiv boyar Petro (the owner of this settlement and the land). Then the village was called Yakovlevychi. During the times of Polish rule, when the village was owned by Jan Grahowski, the settlement was named Yanivka.

The Community honours the memory of its outstanding residents, so a Prominent Countrymen memorial was set in the village of Ivanivka, Chernihiv Region. It is dedicated to the ten most outstanding people of the Community.

 

Prominent Countrymen memorial gallery
Prominent Countrymen memorial gallery Source

Economy and Welfare

The natural and economic conditions of the Ivanivka Community, as well as the entire Chernihiv Region as a whole, are good for business activities in the agricultural sector. The region possesses significant land resources suitable for agriculture.

Most of the companies registered in the Community are engaged in agricultural activities. Almost 200 medium-sized businesses and more than 200 small businesses are registered in the territory of the Community.

Naporivske is one of the main agricultural companies operating in the Community, which is engaged in the production of grains and vegetables, animal husbandry, processing production (production of pellets).

Naporivske
Naporivske

The company called Herasymenko, which is engaged in the cultivation of grain crops and animal husbandry, is also a large business.

Director of Herasymenko Company – Yu. M. Stelmakh
Director of Herasymenko Company – Yu. M. Stelmakh

The Ivanivka Community is actively engaged in the cultural development of its residents.

The Community runs libraries, culture centres, sports grounds and gyms for various sports.

The first Spartakiad was held in the village of Anysiv (in the photo, the team from the village of Ivanivka)
The first Spartakiad was held in the village of Anysiv (in the photo, the team from the village of Ivanivka)

The Community takes care of its residents’ health. There, medical services are provided in four paramedic-midwifery centres and one outpatient clinic located in the territory of the central villages of the Community.

Renovated paramedic-midwifery centre in the village of Kolychivka
Renovated paramedic-midwifery centre in the village of Kolychivka

Community and War

The Ivanivka Community was occupied for almost a month. During that period, 226 houses were destroyed in the Community due to being hit shells, and about 2,015 houses were damaged (broken windows, damaged roofs, walls damaged by fragments).

Out of 17 localities, 10 were occupied from March 03 to March 09; in every locality of the Community there is not a house that was not damaged.

The Culture Centre in Ivanivka near Chernihiv, which was destroyed by the invaders in 2022
The Culture Centre in Ivanivka near Chernihiv, which was destroyed by the invaders in 2022 Source
Performance of an ensemble on the stage of the destroyed Culture Centre in Ivanivka
Performance of an ensemble on the stage of the destroyed Culture Centre in Ivanivka

Every day the russian army used various types of weapons to attack the localities.

During that period, civilians were killed and tortured by the russian military, and many people are still missing. During the occupation, the russians shot 39 residents. More than 200 people died.

Despite the active work of sappers, enemy ammunition can still be found in the Community. People still feel the consequences of these crimes.

The village of Yahidne suffered the most; there the russians kept almost 400 people in a small basement for a month. During this period, eleven people died of suffocation.

Municipal buildings also suffered significant damage. The Culture Centre in Ivanivka was completely destroyed due to being hit by an enemy shell. The russian invaders entered every building and looted it. At present, restoration work is being carried out in each locality.    

The invaders kept the villagers in the basement of the Yahidne branch of the Kolychivka secondary school of the Ivanivka Community
The invaders kept the villagers in the basement of the Yahidne branch of the Kolychivka secondary school of the Ivanivka Community Source

Those residents of the Community who cannot fight on the front lines find other options to help the Ukrainian military by working in the rear and providing the necessary resources and support to the Ukrainian Army.

Meetings and campaigns have become a permanent part of the life of the Community aimed at raising financial funds for military needs and guaranteeing their full support.

In the Community, there are not only initiatives to raise funds, but also volunteer groups specializing in the manufacture of items needed by military personnel. For example, volunteers are actively engaged in weaving camouflage nets and making trench candles to support Ukrainian defenders on the front lines.

Weaving camouflage nets and making warm clothes in the village of Krasne
Weaving camouflage nets and making warm clothes in the village of Krasne Source
Weaving camouflage nets in the village of Anysiv (Crazy and Invincible volunteer group)
Weaving camouflage nets in the village of Anysiv (Crazy and Invincible volunteer group) Source

People of the Community

Olena Shvydka is the head of the Ivanivka Village Council of the Chernihiv District in the Chernihiv Region. She was elected to the post of village head three times in April 2011, in November 2015 and in 2020.

Olena Shvydka, head of the Ivanivka Community
Olena Shvydka, head of the Ivanivka Community

During the active hostilities caused by the military aggression of the russian federation in March 2022, she and her family were under occupation in the village of Ivanivka.

During the first days of the full-scale invasion by the russian federation into the territory of Ukraine, she was actively involved in the creation of local territorial defence units and local patrols in order to stabilize the situation in the Community’s localities and reduce the level of panic among the local population.

The work of the Community team was aimed at ensuring full assistance and support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

From March 03 to March 30, 2022, most of the Ivanivka Territorial Community was under occupation. During the active hostilities, Olena Shvydka stayed in the territory of the Community. After the de-occupation, the team of the Village Council, led by the village head, resumed work almost from scratch. Russian invaders destroyed almost all computer equipment, documentation; administrative buildings, educational, cultural and medical institutions suffered significant destruction.

Thanks to the personal leadership and communication skills of Olena Shvydka, the work of the Village Council was resumed within a short time period. Today, all the social institutions work as usual and provide all the necessary services to the residents.

Development Strategy

The priority areas of activities and goals to be achieved include:

  • Development and implementation of the energy saving program;
  • Construction/reconstruction of street lighting on the streets of the localities where it is not available or needs improvement;
  • Repair and due maintenance of communal roads;
  • Construction of artesian drinking water wells in all the villages of the Community;
  • Installation of video surveillance cameras in the localities of the Community;
  • Creation of an Industrial Park in the territory of the Community.

 

Working meetings
Working meetings
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