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Shostka Territorial Community
Sumy
Population:
The Shostka Urban Territorial Community is located in the territory of the Shostka District in the Sumy Region.
The total surface area of the territory is 1,254.58 km2.
Population: 91,154 residents
Men: 46,157
Women: 35,774
Children: 11,948
Pensioners: 28,821
Internally displaced persons: 4,150
The community consists of thirty-six villages, one settlement and one town. The administrative centre of the community is located in the town of Shostka.
History
The town was founded in 1739 as a workers’ settlement during the construction of a powder factory. In 1924, Shostka was granted the status of a town.
During the Second World War, the town was occupied by German-fascist troops and suffered serious destruction.
Today, Shostka is an important industrial and cultural centre of the Sumy Region of Ukraine.
The famous landmarks of Shostka include ancient historical buildings and landmarks of church architecture such as the Nativity Church (1785) – the oldest building in the town, St. Volodymyr Church (1883) – one of the few surviving stone chapels in the Sumy Region, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (2010). The town harmoniously combines modern residential complexes, beautiful temples and well-arranged parks.
It should be noted that the area is characterized by its amazing nature as well as places of recreation for the town residents and guests, including: parks and squares, forest park areas on the outskirts of the town.
The community has a museum of ethnology, where about 400 items of antiquity are displayed. The museum helps instil love for the Motherland in young people. Master classes of pysanka (Easter eggs) creation and puppetry are held there.
But due to martial law, the busy life of the museum quieted down a bit. Previously, thematic evenings were held here.
Economy and Wellbeing
Shostka is a northern industrial and economic centre of the Sumy Region. Its key industrial sectors include food, pharmaceutical, engineering, chemical, woodworking sectors, production of electrical and insulating materials, production and distribution of electrical and thermal energy.
In early 2022, more than 800 enterprises and institutions, as well as about 2.5 thousand entrepreneurs, were registered in the territory of the administrative centre of the Shostka Community.
The Svema Industrial Park, which began operating in 2014, is in operation. Its land area is 118.25 hectares. All engineering infrastructure facilities are available. The site is divided into zones: a research centre, a personnel training centre, an energy centre, a high-tech park, a promising development area, logistics, pharmaceuticals, chemical production, plastic production, wood processing, building materials production.
In recent years, two projects have been implemented in the territory of the Svema Industrial Park and about 100 jobs have been created. The municipality allowed the participants of the Industrial Park not to pay for the land for a period of 5 years, which provides favourable conditions for investment.
Efforts to attract investors to the site of the Industrial Park continue and global experience in organizing work on relevant sites is being examined.
The Shostka Town Council is an active participant in the implementation of investment projects, as a result of which it was possible to attract significant investments in the infrastructure of the community.
A pharmaceutical company, which is a Ukrainian manufacturer of European-level medicines, also operates in the territory of the community. It exports its goods to more than 40 countries. Currently, the company is developing about a hundred types of medicines. Up to twenty new medicines are marketed annually.
Community and War
Since the russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Shostka has been partly besieged. In order not to let the russian troops into the region, Ukrainian defenders blew up one of the largest bridges of the Sumy Region, which is located in Shostka and connects the Sumy and Chernihiv Regions. Russian forces periodically moved near the town from the north and south.
The bridge was restored in the autumn. From now on, people do not need to cover more than fifty kilometres to get from one bank to the other.
Russian troops bombarded the industrial and production facilities in the town of Shostka. Almost all the workshops and warehouses of the enterprises were destroyed; the work of some of them cannot be restored. Residential buildings were destroyed and more than fifty apartment buildings, schools, kindergartens and a polyclinic were damaged.
The community receives numerous charitable assistance from sister towns. At the beginning of the winter, Poland and Germany handed over eleven power generators. The equipment was installed to work in social institutions and critical infrastructure facilities.
People of the Community
Mykola Noha is the head of the community.
In 2022, the Shostka Town Council under the leadership of Mykola Noha took part in the international technical assistance projects, namely:
- The EU Strong Regions program is aimed at increasing the stability of Ukraine in general and in relation to hybrid threats in particular, and helping the strengthening of Ukrainian reforms and social cohesion at the national level. As part of the project, equipment and facilities for medical, social and critical infrastructure facilities were obtained (computer equipment, generators, portable charging stations, surgical beds, equipment and facilities for people with disabilities, tool sets, etc.).
- The UNDP Mayors for Economic Growth Regional Development Program promotes inclusive economic growth and development of innovations in the municipalities of the countries.
3. USAID Energy Security Project. Reforming and developing a competitive energy market, creating a favourable legislative and political environment, increasing technical potential, designing power generation models with the lowest costs. Providing technical assistance by USAID and Tera Tech ES, Ins.0 to the Shostka community.
4. The Education project implemented by the People in Need (PIN) international humanitarian organization. The goal is to improve access to education, through the creation of Distance Learning Centres to support children having currently no access to education or if such access is inadequate. Two equipped distance learning centres will be created at the community’s schools.
Efforts are made to attract investments in the economy of the community. The project to develop the Svema industrial park is being implemented. The park is actually working and has members of the industrial park: the Shostka Elevator. The enterprise works to increase its production capacity.
A co-working space has been created for the residents of the community, which has all the conditions for comfortable work: uninterrupted power supply and high-speed Internet are provided, workplaces are equipped, and computer equipment is available.
The Shostka Town Council is an active participant in the implementation of investment projects financed by the State Fund for Regional Development, as a result of which it was possible to attract significant investments in the infrastructure of the community.
The Berehynia volunteer association functions in the community. Within a day, they make thousands of portions of pancakes, dumplings and borshch for the Ukrainian defenders. In addition to the fact that these dishes are delicious at home, they can also be preserved for a long time thanks to a special recipe and vacuum packaging.
Development Strategy
Priority areas of the Shostka Urban Territorial Community development:
Priority 1. Security system: support of territorial defence; energy security; renewable energy sources; creation of safe conditions for living and doing business; ensuring law and order; strengthening of social cohesion.
Priority 2. Industrial space: use of the existing economic space; industrial innovations; creation of competitive production facilities; use of building products of industrial enterprises of the Shostka community in Ukraine’s reconstruction programs.
Priority 3. Economic innovations: self-employment of the population; start-up business support; activation of the business incubator; development of digital technologies; relocation of businesses from the territories where active hostilities are taking place to the industrial site of the Svema Industrial Park; mechanism of public works aimed at meeting the needs of the population, reconstruction of damaged infrastructure facilities; organization of new settlements in rural areas.
Priority 4. Development of the agricultural sector: food security; expansion of the raw material zone of fruit, berry and vegetable products; development of a network of plant and animal husbandry processing facilities; organization of farms, family and individual farms.
Priority 5. Human potential: increasing the duration of health of the community residents; efficiency of providing medical services; development of the knowledge accumulation system; lifelong learning; development of online training programs and programming training; improvement of well-being and the standard of living.
Even before the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine, the community authorities were planning to create eco-settlements. The Shostka IT group has developed a presentation 3-D project of an eco-settlement. According to the plan, it will consist of 20 to 30 houses of various sizes. Additional energy supply will be ensured by solar panels. The houses will be designed for both temporary and permanent residence.
