Slavutych Urban Territorial Community

History

Slavutych is Ukraine’s youngest town, the town of the White Angel, located at the confluence of the Desna and Dnipro rivers, 200 kilometres north of Kyiv.

Slavutych is an atomic town that was built for the employees of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and their families in 1987 after the most powerful radiation accident in the world which occurred at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in 1986.

Today, Slavutych is a town of new ideas

It has unique post-modern architecture, where you can feel the unsurpassed atmosphere of combining several cultures alongside.

Slavutych became an international platform for engineers and scientists to exchange experience in the field of nuclear energy, ecology and the latest technologies.

The community has open government and international cooperation with EU countries, Japan, the USA and France in the areas of mitigation of the consequences of the Chornobyl accident, business support, tourism development, information technology, energy efficiency, etc.

The tourist cluster “Chornobyl NPP – Slavutych – Medieval Chernihiv of the Times of Kyivan Rus – Ancient Lyubech” was organized in the community.

Also, a number of cultural events are held here every year: the International Festival of Children’s Democracy, Television, Press and Creativity “Golden Autumn of Slavutych”, the GoldenFest festival, an art residence for artists, etc.

Economy and Public Welfare

In 2018, the local government of Slavutych joined the European Union Initiative “Measures for Economic Growth”.

Slavutych is a town of manufacturing industry, technology and investment opportunities. 2028 entrepreneurs work here.

Main sectors of the economy:

–  Nuclear energy

– Production of electrical equipment, medical equipment, paper, stationery, etc.

– Civil engineering

– Light industry

– Wholesale and retail trade 

– Transport, warehousing, postal and courier activities

– Biofuel boiler houses and power plants based on alternative energy sources

Community and War

From the first day of the full-scale invasion of enemy troops of the Russian Federation into the territory of Ukraine, Slavutych found itself blockaded. Due to intense hostilities all around, the town was completely cut off from other cities, towns and villages of Ukraine, barbaric shelling of the surrounding communities was underway, military equipment was advancing from the territory of Russia and Belarus, the Chornobyl exclusion zone was captured by the enemy, the operational personnel of the Chornobyl NPP became hostages of the aggressor, the surrounding communities were occupied, access roads to the town were blocked, mobile towers and main Internet networks were damaged, there was no electricity supply for a week.

It was possible to get to the “Big Land” only through the forest and swamps in small cars risking life.

Slavutych was on the verge of a humanitarian disaster, and the town’s residents suffered from a lack of medicine, fuel, food, hygiene products, etc.

In this difficult and terrible time, the people of Slavutych showed unprecedented solidarity and indomitable spirit. Government, business, and community representatives created a town-wide humanitarian volunteer hub and worked together around the clock to provide community residents with at least minimum food, medicine, emergency medical care, utilities, communications etc.

On March 23-25, we fought the invaders on the approaches to the town and in the suburbs.

Unfortunately, however, the forces were unequal, and on March 26, after fighting on the outskirts of the town, the invaders entered Slavutych, captured the mayor, searched people for weapons, looted the town’s infrastructure, damaged municipal and private property etc. On the same day, more than 7,000 Slavutych residents came out for a peaceful protest against the Russian occupation.

The occupiers tried to stop the brave and peaceful demonstrators with automatic shots and stun grenades, but the residents of our town did not get scared, refused to give up and continued to loudly express their pro-Ukrainian position.

The community suffered losses – four defenders died in battles on the outskirts of the town. One person was seriously injured during a peaceful anti-occupation protest.

Thanks to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the occupiers were expelled from Slavutych, as well as from the occupied surrounding communities.

During the hostilities and occupation, the Russian military damaged power lines at the Chornobyl NPP which feeds Slavutych and deprived the non-gasified town of electricity, forcing the residents of Slavutych to gather firewood and cook over campfires.

The occupiers mined the surrounding suburban territory, damaged a lot of utility equipment, and now, the town’s utility services are unable to effectively perform their duties and repair damaged property.

During the entire period of the war, Slavutych provided shelter for more than 1,000 residents of Chernihiv and surrounding communities.

Today, the community is preparing to receive over 1,000 migrants from other locations of Ukraine, where urban infrastructure has been damaged as a result of the barbaric military actions of the Russian aggressor.

 People of the Community

The projects implemented under the leadership of the Mayor:

1. Project of the European Union – Thermal upgrades of School No. 2 and Kindergarten No. 1

Outcome: 49.4% saving of thermal energy  

2. Project under the NEFCO loan programme: Thermal upgrades of School No. 4

Outcome: 33% saving of thermal energy  

3. The European Union project “Slavutych as a growth driver of open and free economy of the region”

Outcomes:

Establishment of effective cooperation between the Slavutych community and 63 communities of Chernihiv region.

Launching of 23 new online administrative E-services for business.

Creation of the investment portal Slavutych-Chernihiv region.

Implementation of the Business Training Programme where 48 training sessions were held for 940 people.

Construction of the first municipal Innovative Industrial Business Park in Ukraine.

Creation of the Fund for financial support of innovative and start-up businesses.

4. Project of the Ukrainian Cultural Fund “Slavutych – a small cultural capital of Ukraine”

Outcome: cultural enrichment of more than 5,000 representatives of the local and international community, enhanced integration of cultural heritage into the life of the community of the town of Slavutych and the region

5. Reconstruction of the Dolphin pool

6. Reconstruction of the central park

From the first days of the war, when the town’s residents were left alone with their problems in a closed space, Yuriy Fomichev, as the mayor, was always there for his community. The war and the resulting blockade added new challenges and tasks for the mayor, and he had to work 24/7.

This also included the organization and operation of a volunteer hub to help the town’s residents, including families of captured Slavutych residents and displaced persons, coordination of the delivery of fuel, food, medicines, and hygiene products through forest paths, provision of firewood for multi-story buildings for cooking on fireplaces, transportation of haemodialysis patients to the Chernihiv hospital, which was also surrounded by enemy troops.

And the most important task of the mayor during martial law period, and especially during the period of blockade, occupation and lack of electricity, is the psychological support of Slavutych residents. Almost daily, through local television and social networks, Yuriy Fomichev addressed the residents of Slavutych, talked about the current state of affairs in the town and the country, gave advice, answered the residents’ questions and urged them to support each other.

He was captured for a short term on March 26 as he was going to the town-wide gathering against the occupiers. The residents of the town demanded that the Rashists release the mayor and leave the town. Then the residents heroically forced the enemy out of the town’s outskirts.

The volunteer hub of Slavutych united about half a thousand townspeople. Sometimes it seemed that the whole town, as a single organism, was working harmoniously for victory.

 The family of entrepreneurs Kateryna Volkova and Ihor Papkovich collaborated with the town authorities from the first days of the blockade of Slavutych to find possible ways to deliver charitable aid to Slavutych residents. Kateryna was looking for benefactors, and Ihor and his friend Yuriy Nitchenko found and tested the aid delivery route. This route was then used both to deliver aid and to evacuate residents.

The family of entrepreneurs Lyubov Piskunova and Thomas Carpenter, while abroad, organized the collection and delivery of charitable aid for Slavutych residents and military personnel. During the blockade, they gave all the potatoes that were at the enterprise to the residents of the town.

The family of municipal and state enterprise employees Larysa and Denys Masliys worked in the volunteer hub helping the town from the first day of its creation. Denys led a team of volunteer loaders who manually unloaded products, medicines and hygiene products, while Larysa sorted aid for food kits.

During the blockade by enemy troops, every Slavutych family received help. In total, almost 30,000 food kits and hygiene products were issued for the families of Slavutych residents and displaced persons.

Thus, all together as a consolidated community, Slavutych withstood the most difficult times in its history and continues to work for our victory over the enemy and the liberation of the territories.

Development strategy

In May 2021, the Strategic Plan for the Development of the Territorial Community until 2025 was approved in Slavutych.

The main strategic goals of the community are as follows:

1. To increase the competitiveness of the town’s economy
2. To improve the quality and comfort of life of the residents
3. To increase the efficiency of the municipality and community involvement

Promising projects of Slavutych within the framework of the Strategic Development Plan:

– Slavutych as an energy-independent eco-town
– Slavutych as a laboratory town of barrier-free solutions
– Slavutych as a rehabilitation hub for restoring the health of adults and children with physical and mental injuries sustained as a result of military aggression
– Slavutych – as a shelter town for internally displaced persons
– Slavutych  as an interregional cycling recreation location for health improvement and relaxation
– Slavutych as a catalyst of economic development for territories bordering with countries unfriendly to Ukraine
– Slavutych as a Smart Town: integration of information and communication technologies for residents
– Slavutych as a care and leisure centre for the elderly.

Also, the Slavutych community is implementing the Action Plan for Sustainable Energy Development and Climate of the Town of Slavutych until 2030, the programmes Slavutych as a Barrier-Free Town for 2021-2024 and Public Participation Budget of the Town of Slavutych for 2021-2025

List of Sources

• Official website “Slavutych Urban Community”
• Official website of the Regional Development Agency of the Slavutych Town Council
• Official website Investment portal “Slavutych-Chernihiv region”
• Investment portal “Slavutych-Chernihiv region”
• Official website of the Chornobyl NPP
• Strategic plan for the development of the Slavutych urban territorial community until 2025
• Action plan for Sustainable Energy Development and Climate of the Town of Slavutych until 2030