Vasylivka Territorial Community

History

The Vasylivka Urban Territorial Community is located in the south-east of Ukraine, in the central part of the Zaporizhzhia Region, and its administrative centre is the town of Vasylivka. It was created in 2020 by unifying the territories and settlements of the Vasylivka Urban Council and six village councils of the Vasylivka District of the Zaporizhzhia Region.

The centre of the Community is the town of Vasylivka located on the left bank of the Karachekrak River, which flows into the Kakhovka Reservoir (Dnipro River) 2.5 km downstream.

The territory of the Community is full of historical and cultural landmarks, tourist locations and picturesque landscapes. The historical-architectural complex museum “Popov Estate”, the only one in the Zaporizhzhia Region, has been preserved and works being the Community’s business card. It is thanks to the existence of tourist attractions that the Community is considered a regional tourist centre of the Zaporizhzhia Region.

Economy and Welfare

The Vasylivka Urban Territorial Community has a strategic location as the Community is situated at the intersection of highways of national importance. The traffic flow is more than 16 million vehicles annually.

In order to form the Community’s uniqueness and its visual positive image, the Community has designed its own brand. More than a year ago, the identity symbols of the Community were designed and approved to be used in the presentation materials as well as during the celebration of public holidays, commemoration of commemorative dates, and street decoration.

Large and small enterprises operate very actively in the territory of the Community, and there are large production facilities producing their own various products.

Vasylivka Factory of Technological Equipment specializes in the manufacture of metallurgical and electro-technical products, the production of aluminium profiles. The plant’s products are supplied to the domestic market of Ukraine and the European countries. In the regions of Ukraine, Vasylivka Factory of Technological Equipment is the only manufacturer of these products.

Another example of a local business is the company Olis LTD, which opened an oil processing plant in the town of Vasylivka. The enterprise has implemented a quality management system in accordance with the Food Safety System Certification 22000 (FSSC 22000) standard.

Also, one of the largest shoemaking enterprises – VASYLIVKA ZAVOD MK – operates in the territory of the Community.

Due to its exceptional reliability, modern design, reasonable price and long-standing presence in the footwear market, the Ukrainian brand MIDA has gained the recognition and trust of millions of consumers in different countries. Shoes made only from high-quality natural materials, modern equipment of the factory and constant quality control at all the stages of production are the key to the success of MIDA TM.

There are also textile manufacturing enterprises operating in the territory of the Community.

And the company Assol is an official dealer in Ukraine of a number of leading global heavy engineering companies and factories. The company’s product procurement policy is based on direct supplies of equipment and parts directly from manufacturing plants.

The Community also cares about the development of strong and athletic youth.

As part of the program of the President of Ukraine, the location “Active Parks of Ukraine” was arranged and a multi-functional gymnastics complex was purchased for the Suziria Lyceum in Vasylivka.

There are also two multi-functional sports grounds. With the support of benefactors, counsellors and entrepreneurs, the Community opened a sports ground for beach volleyball, a children’s sports ground, a modern skate park, purchased sports equipment and football uniforms for the women’s football team.

In the Community, a Youth Council was set up under the Vasylivka Town Council in order to establish effective interaction between the local self-government and young people.

As part of the Major Construction program, the reconstruction of the Tavria stadium is underway: the football field and running tracks have been covered with artificial surfaces and markings, and the gates have been installed. A fence and a tennis court have been installed and the existing stands have been renovated.

The territory of the Community has great potential and excellent natural opportunities for attracting additional resources to its socio-economic development through tourism. There is a tourist route from the Khortytsia National Reserve and tourist sites of Zaporizhzhia in the north of the region and to the outstanding Stone Grave sites.

An important event in the tourist life of 2021 was the creation by private investors of the SAPSAN club in the bay of Lysa Hora. The leading area of its work is the development of water tourism.

The Community has a sufficiently developed cultural space. The network includes sixteen cultural centres. In terms of prospects, the culture centres are developed in the Community. In April 2021, the Community became the winner of the Centres of Cultural Services project, which is implemented on the initiative of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. 

Much attention in the Community is paid to the development of inclusive education of children. This task in the Vasylivka Community is implemented by the inclusive resource centre. Thus, in October 2021, the project “Inclusive Playground in the Vasylivka Community” developed by them received a grant of UAH 90,000.00 from the Danish charitable organization ApiAid for its implementation, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is implemented by Pact in Ukraine.

Cooperation with Parimatch Foundation Ukraine, an international charitable foundation, has also started.

Community and War

During the first days of the full-scale invasion, the Zaporizhzhia Region was under intense enemy fire. Advancing deep into the region and not abandoning their intention to capture Zaporizhzhia, the russians pounded towns and villages with heavy artillery. Vasylivka is a town in the Zaporizhzhia Region located on the banks of the Kakhovka Reservoir, where active hostilities began on February 28, and in March russian troops occupied almost the entire territory of the Vasylivka Community. Since then, almost 80% of the residents have left the town.

It so happened that Vasylivka and its Community closed the front line and took on a serious role in the evacuation of the civilian population, in the exchange of prisoners of war and is still a mediator between two worlds, where the main value is our people.

Literally in the first days of the war, the village of Kamianske, near Zaporizhzhia, was in the so-called grey zone. It has been on the front line for a year, under constant fire from enemy artillery. The people staying in the village have been living without electricity since March 3. More than a third of the village’s infrastructure has been completely destroyed, and more than 70% of residential buildings and communal facilities have been damaged. Meanwhile, people who lived there before the beginning of the full-scale invasion of russian troops are staying in the village.

Currently, a large percentage of forced refugees from the Vasylivka Community are staying in the city of Zaporizhzhia. A coordination and humanitarian centre has been opened in Zaporizhzhia to support people arriving from the areas of active hostilities. 

People of the Community

Serhii Kaliman is the Head of the Vasylivka Territorial Community.

The Community head was threatened and was taken out to be shot several times, but he continued to work together with like-minded people.

The main task of the Town Council was to provide the occupied community with food and medicines, as well as to organize the evacuation of its residents from the occupied territory.

Development Strategy 

When the war ends, the Community plans to return to its pre-war strategic plans for the development of the Community, taking into account the fact that the war made its adjustments and one of the most important tasks after the de-occupation will be the reconstruction of the infrastructure destroyed by the russians and the return of residents to their homes.

One of the strategic areas is the intelligent development of territories. In particular, this means supporting small and medium-sized businesses, developing a system of quality services in the Community. A cultural services centre and an inclusive sports and playground will also be built.

Also, the Vasylivka Community has partner towns: the Khust Town Community and the Ukrainka Community.

List of Source

• Official website of the Vasylivka Town Council 
• Official Facebook page of the Vasylivka Town Council
• Wikipedia
• Passport of the Vasylivka Community
• Investment passport of the Vasylivka Community 
• Subbota PLUS newspaper