Tupychiv Territorial Community

History

Tupychiv is the largest village in the community. Its name was mentioned for the first time in 1526. And the fact that the settlement had existed even before the Mongol-Tatar invasion of Rus is evidenced by ancient Rus barrows and a hillfort located around the village.

There are two versions of the origin of the name of Tupychiv: either from the family that owned the area or because of its geographical location (it is surrounded by swamps and forests in the north).

From the late 17th century to the 19th century, 30% of the residents of the village were Cossacks and Jews constituted a significant part of its population. During this period, large stables, a distillery, a hospital, a new church, a school for four classes and a park with an area of three hectares, which has been partially preserved, were built there.

The main areas of the community’s economic activities were the harvesting of peat, logging, brick production, soap making, distilling, and spirit production. Nowadays, quarries have been formed at the place of former peat extraction sites becoming a favourite place of rest for fishermen and hunters.

Peasants took an active part in the events of the 1917 – 1921 Ukrainian Revolution as members of various opposing parties. In 1932-1933, the community suffered from the Holodomor. After 1945, a collective farm named after Frunze, the Kovalivsky Distillery, a cattle fattening complex, a brick factory, a bakery and a cheese making facility began to operate there.

Another large settlement of the community is the village of Velykyi Lystven where, in 1710, an architectural monument of national importance was built: St. Michael’s Church.

Economy and Welfare

95 enterprises operate in the territory of the Tupychiv Community. The mainstay of economic development is agricultural and industrial enterprises located in the territory of the community.

Mainly cereals and potatoes are grown there. And private homesteads are engaged in horticulture – mainly apple trees.

The community has its own utility company: Atlant UC. Its main task is the improvement of public amenities and road maintenance.

After the de-occupation, a sewing workshop opened at this utility enterprise. As a result of the support provided by the community partner under the DOBRE Program (USAID), a sewing workshop was launched there, where the main equipment is installed, as well as rooms for cutting and ironing. This extension of the local enterprise was a contribution to the future of the community as 12 new jobs were created and local women completed special training to work there.

Moreover, there is an out-of-school education institution in the community – Suchasnyk youth club. It provides a variety of services to young people: sports, IT, music, gastronomy, embroidery, etc., which allows every young person to find an activity they like. As a result, the highest occupancy rate among the community educational institutions is recorded (80%).

Community and War

The Tupychiv Community is located 37 km from the border with the aggressor country. On 24 February 2022, on the day of the full-scale invasion of the territory of Ukraine by the russian troops, convoys of enemy vehicles were already in the territory of the community at 11 o’clock in the morning.

The enemy marched through the villages of Velykyi Lystven, Tupychiv and Burivka, which are located on the way to the city of Chernihiv. Convoys of military vehicles of the invaders constantly moved along this road: both during the day and at night.

The community’s villages were cut off from the regional centre and neighbouring settlements. On the first day, russian soldiers looted all the shops and pharmacies. Cellular towers and high-voltage power lines were damaged.

The delivery of food, medicines and other vital goods was stopped. There were no means of communication and electricity for 37 days.

The occupation lasted for 42 days. During this time, the residents of the community experienced despair and fear. People did not dare to go outside; it was especially dangerous to go out during the movement of enemy convoys.

The invaders regularly shelled the community with missiles, short-range projectiles and cluster munitions. There were almost no houses or businesses left intact.

The Tupychiv Community also recorded human casualties. In the village of Velykyi Lystven, the russians captured a young man, whose fate is unknown to this day. In the village of Burivka, the invaders killed two young men and did not allow burying them for several days.

A real challenge during the occupation of the community was replenishing food stocks and ensuring residents’ access to medical care. Therefore, in the first days after the de-occupation, charity funds, international organizations and other communities of Ukraine came to the aid of the Tupychiv Community.

Despite the upheavals caused by the occupation, the community is gradually recovering, and its residents are actively involved in volunteer activities and helping the military.

People of the Community

Larysa Shovkova has been the head of the Tupychiv Village Council since 2006. She is an unchanging leader among the population of the community and is highly respected by people.

Creative, sporty and active people live in the Tupychiv TC. Every year, its residents take part in sports competitions at the regional and national levels.

The People’s Choir, an exemplary children’s brass band, and amateur groups of the community help defenders to persevere in difficult times and raise the spirits of the population.

The community has a high level of project activity and maximum public involvement. Currently, Source of Public Initiatives NGO works in the territory of the Tupychiv Community.

After the de-occupation, the Tupychiv TC became the winner of many national and international competitions and programs. Partnerships with donors such as USAID, the International Organization for Migration, ISAR Unity, IREX/Ukraine Rapid Response Fund Program, and the International Renaissance Fund allow the community to develop and implement important projects.

Development Strategy

After the liberation of its territories, the Tupychiv Community recovered and, despite its proximity to the border with the aggressor country, continues to develop. Now the community lives within the framework of the development strategy for 2021-2027.

Economic development in the community is a priority goal. This is why conditions for the development of entrepreneurship are created and the innovative models of social and youth businesses are introduced there. Separate divisions of enterprises and new jobs are created.

The community is working on its food security. Currently, it does not have its own bakery. Due to this, during the occupation, its residents found themselves without bread. To avoid such situations in the future, the creation of its own bakery has become a new strategic goal of the community.

Thanks to the support of the Ukrainian Social Academy, as part of the implementation of the Bread with the Soul project, equipment for the full cycle of bread production has already been purchased, and other preparatory works are ongoing. It is planned to meet the need for bread in all the 11 villages and settlements of the Tupychiv Community. The enterprise will be private; its owners are residents of Tupychiv. And local agricultural enterprises are supposed to supply raw materials.

The community makes efforts to create an ecologically safe environment, form an educated, healthy, cultural community of united and active residents of the community.

The Tupychiv Community is developing its own identity and is open to partnership cooperation with other local authorities across the region, the country and the world.

List of Sources

• Official website of the Tupychiv Community
• Community’s official Facebook page:
• www.facebook.com
• www.facebook.com/groups
• Tupychiv Community Development Strategy
• Chernihiv Time online portal:
• Wikipedia