«No school, no life». What is life like today in the most devastated villages of the Mykolaiv region?
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- Yuliia BoichenkoReporter
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A ruined house in the village of Partyzanske, photo by NikVestiFrom the author: We were here three years ago.
In 2023, NikVesti travelled to Kyselivka, Partyzanske, Maksymivka and Luch — villages that had endured occupation or come under heavy shelling. All around us were ruined houses, destroyed schools and almost deserted streets.
At the time, the authorities spoke of reconstruction — rebuilding homes, constructing new neighbourhoods, launching new projects and bringing people back.
Three years later, we decided to return here and see what had changed.
There is electricity here. Gas too. Most houses have windows and roofs again. But there are no schools, the nurseries are only just trying to reopen, there are hardly any jobs, and some of the houses still lie in ruins.
In almost every village, we heard a similar view: simply repairing a house isn’t enough. For people to return, there need to be schools, nurseries, a hospital and jobs. Read about what’s happening in the villages today in the article by NikVesti.
What was promised in 2023?
When we first visited these villages in the spring of 2023, the authorities had already announced plans for their reconstruction.
For Kyselivka, Partyzanske and Maksymivka, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) planned to rebuild over 350 homes.
The international organisation ZOA announced the selection of 500 households for minor and medium-scale repairs costing up to 5,000 dollars per family.
In the village of Luch, there were plans to build 50 new high-rise blocks and houses using sandwich panels, similar to those in Norway.
At the time, these announcements sounded like the start of reconstruction.
Three years later, we returned to Kyselivka, Partyzanske, Maksymivka and Luch to see how these villages are faring today.
«We haven’t seen many positive changes». The entire reconstruction is concentrated in a single building
Today, the reconstruction of Kyselivka can be summed up by just one address. In the centre of the village, a two-storey building is being renovated. This is where the village head, Ivan Volko, told NikVesti they plan to house a nursery, a health centre and administrative services for residents.
The building in Kyselivka where they plan to house a nursery, a clinic and administrative services for residents, photo by NikVestiThree years after de-occupation, locals most often refer to this very building as the village’s main reconstruction project.
«We don’t have a clinic at the moment; we plan to set one up on the ground floor of this building (he points to the two-storey building behind him, — note). “The second floor will house the nursery, and the first floor will serve as a sort of administrative centre,» said Ivan Volko.
In effect, the village’s entire social infrastructure is to be concentrated in a single building.
Ivan Volko, head of the village of Kyselivka, photo by NikVestiValentyna Lakota, head of the «Cinderella» nursery, shows us the room where builders are currently preparing the floor for concreting. She has been working here for 19 years.
«We hope to open a new group by 1 September. There are currently 12 pre-school-aged children in the village. The Norwegian Council is helping us with the renovations,» she explains.
Over the last few years, the children have effectively been without a nursery.
«There were no leisure activities as such. We didn’t have a shelter. It’s being repaired now. But volunteers still came and worked with the children, organising various activities,» she added.
When asked about changes in the village over recent years, she replies briefly: «We haven’t seen many positive changes.»
A flower against the backdrop of the ruined school building in the village of Kyselivka, photo by NikVestiAnd then she adds a phrase that seems to best describe the situation not only in Kyselivka, but also in many of the region’s affected villages: «If there’s no school, no nursery — there’ll be no village life.»
In Luch, the role of such a ‘centre of life’ is currently fulfilled by the local community centre. The building was also damaged during the shelling, so most activities for children are now effectively held in a single corridor.
«We only have one small corridor where psychologists work, children are looked after, and volunteers from Moldova come to visit. Our friends from Moldova are currently looking for sponsors to renovate at least a few rooms, so that in winter we can install a fireplace and hold classes for the children somewhere other than the corridor,» said Svitlana Hinzhul, director of the cultural centre.
Svitlana Hinzhul, director of the cultural centre in the village of Luch, photo by NikVesti«One person has returned». Residents are collecting their certificates and leaving
In total, almost all the houses in Kyselivka were damaged or destroyed during the fighting.
«97 per cent of our buildings were destroyed. Virtually all the infrastructure was damaged or destroyed,» says the village head, Ivan Volko.
Over the past three years, he says, they have managed to restore more than half of the damaged homes — fitting new windows and roofs.
International organisations, charitable foundations, the state-run ‘e-Reconstruction’ programme, and donations of building materials all played a major role. Most often, the focus was on restoring the so-called ‘thermal envelope’: roofs, windows and doors.
«We’ve probably managed to restore 60 per cent of the partially damaged homes,» added Ivan Volko.
But even these figures do not paint the full picture.
A restored house with a volleyball court in the village of Kyselivka, photo by NikVestiMany people whose homes were completely destroyed received housing certificates and decided not to return.
«Most people didn’t take the certificates to rebuild their homes. They bought flats or houses in other communities. Of those whose homes were completely destroyed, only one person has actually returned,» says the village head.
Before the full-scale invasion, around 600 people lived in Kyselivka. Now there are approximately 310.
The situation is similar in Partyzanske.
Around 98 per cent of the village was destroyed, said village head Raisa Shulha. Some residents received certificates and left.
«People have collected their certificates, but the plots of land have been left overgrown. There’s nothing I can do. What are we supposed to do? Live amidst all this thistle?» she said.
Only a handful have decided to stay and rebuild their homes.
«We have five such people. I am one of them,» says Raisa Shulha.
Raisa Shulha, head of the village of Partyzanske, photo by NikVestiHer own house was completely destroyed, but she received compensation under the government’s «eVidnovlennia» programme and is now rebuilding her home with her husband.
«It would have been easier to take the certificate and leave. But I want to go home. My children grew up here. My first husband is buried here. This is my land. I’m drawn back home,» the head of the village shared.
Raisa Shulha’s private house undergoing restoration in the village of Partyzanske, photo by NikVestiA similar process is taking place in the village of Luch. According to Svitlana Hinzhul, director of the cultural centre, some residents whose homes were not eligible for reconstruction have used their housing certificates to buy homes in other cities.
«Some bought a flat in Mykolaiv, others in Odesa. People are looking for a place where there are jobs and where they can raise their children,» she says.
Before the full-scale invasion, around a thousand people lived in Luch. During the active fighting, only 38 residents remained in the village. Now, around 260 people and 16 children live here.
A restored block of flats in the village of Luch, photo by NikVesti
Residents have built wooden steps to reach their flats in a ruined block of flats in the village of Luch, Mykolaiv region, photo by NikVestiAt the same time, there are examples of infrastructure restoration in Partyzanske. With support from Denmark, a health centre has been rebuilt here; it is already operational and seeing patients.
«The clinic had been destroyed. But it was rebuilt with the help of the Danish Refugee Council. Every year, a private clinic from Kyiv comes here to carry out check-ups, ultrasounds and gynaecological examinations. It’s free of charge,» said Raisa Shulрa.
The clinic in Partyzanske, which was restored with funding from the Danish government, photo by NikVestiWhen speaking to village heads and residents, everyone said there were no problems with basic necessities — water, gas and electricity are available. These were the first things to be restored in the villages following de-occupation. However, this situation applies only to Partizanske, Kyselivka and Luch.
In Maksymivka, the situation is different. Only 10–12 families currently live in the village. There is no proper water supply.
«People fetch water either from the pond or from a borehole. The water tower has been destroyed, but they still manage to pump water from there somehow. The situation there is critical. I don’t even know what will happen next,» says Ivan Volko, the village head of a neighbouring village.
A ruined house in the village of Partyzanske, photo by NikVesti
A destroyed house in the village of Partizanske, photo by ‘NikVesti’Only the foundations remain. What about the schools in the villages?
The situation with social infrastructure is more complicated than with housing.
In Partyzanske, only the foundations of the school remain.
It used to be a two-storey building where around 90 children were educated. But the school was demolished after it was hit by a Russian missile.
Children still live in the village — there are currently around 35 of them. They are all studying remotely.
«First and foremost, we need a school. Our children used to win prizes at academic competitions, travel to contests and gain entry to universities. That was the life of the village,» says Raisa Shulha.
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The school in Partyzanske is not being rebuilt due to the small number of children. At the same time, people are not returning precisely because there is no school, says the village head.
«It’s not viable; there aren’t enough people. But I really want at least a primary school,» she added.
The situation is similar in Kyselivka.
Around 50 school-age children live in the village, says village head Ivan Volko. They are also studying online.
Formally, the school still exists — the headteacher and teachers are still in post. But there is no school building — it was hit by a Russian missile. Today, the building stands in the middle of the village — half-ruined, without windows and with a damaged roof.
«Of course, there are plans to rebuild the school, but there aren’t enough people here to make it viable. And so we’re caught in a vicious circle. Because if there were a school, people might be more likely to return,» says the village head.
The ruined school building in the village of Kyselivka, photo by NikVesti
The inscription ‘Class of 2026’ on a blackboard in the ruined school building in the village of Kyselivka, photo by NikVestiIn the village of Luch, the local school and nursery were also severely damaged during the shelling and are currently closed.
«The school is in a very poor state. It was hit directly; part of the roof is missing. The nursery has also been badly damaged. The roof has been repaired, but the building itself still needs to be restored,» says Svitlana Hinzhul.
At the moment, the children are travelling by school bus to Shevchenkove, whilst the nursery children are staying at home.
«The bus takes the children to school. There’s no nursery; for now, they’re learning online. But I think they might repair the school in Shevchenkove, and they’ll start travelling there too,» says the woman.
Work that is essential for a return
No matter which village we visited, people said more or less the same thing. Simply rebuilding houses isn’t enough to bring residents back. We need a school, a nursery, healthcare and jobs.
«We need to get the infrastructure up and running, open a school and set up a nursery. We don’t have a medical centre. And then people still need some sort of work. That’s the main thing — people need to work and earn a wage,» said Ivan Volko, the village head of Kyselivka.
He noted that there are currently two shops and several farms operating in Kyselivka.
«That’s very little. Young people need to feed their families. They look for work elsewhere and leave,» says the village head.
The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Kyselivka, photo by NikVesti
A restored residential building in the village of Partyzanske, photo by NikVestiValentyna Lakota, a local resident and head of the nursery school, shares this view.
«There isn’t enough work or housing. If there’s no work, people won’t be able to live here,» she says.
Similar problems are also cited in Luch.
Although some of the damaged homes in the village have been restored over the past three years, and electricity, water, gas and internet have been reconnected, locals are not yet talking about the large-scale reconstruction that was announced following the de-occupation.
«We haven’t got anything new here. International organisations helped — they replaced people’s windows and repaired the damage. But as for building or rebuilding anything new for us — that hasn’t happened,» says Svitlana Hinzhul, director of the cultural centre.
A restored block of flats in the village of Luch, photo by NikVestiAccording to her, it takes more than just repaired houses to bring people back to the village today.
«We need to install a sewerage system and build a road to the village. And if they could set up a factory here, that would be absolutely brilliant — it would give people somewhere to work,» she says.
Before the war, some of Luch’s residents worked at the local radio centre, whilst others commuted to work at businesses in Mykolaiv.
«We had a radio station where people worked. There was «Elika», which took people on to work. The same went for «Sandora». But now people are looking for work wherever they can find it,» adds Svitlana Hinzhul.
What lies ahead for the villages?
Three years ago, alongside plans for reconstruction in the region, another issue began to be discussed — whether it was necessary to rebuild all the villages that had been almost completely destroyed. This raised the question of village consolidation.
What is the consolidation of villages? It is an approach whereby residents of small or almost completely destroyed settlements are offered the chance to relocate to larger villages or towns where schools, nurseries, clinics and other infrastructure either already exist or are planned to be rebuilt. In such cases, resources are channelled towards the development of a single, larger settlement rather than the reconstruction of each individual village.
At the time, Vitalii Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, assured that no decision had been made regarding the consolidation of settlements. At the same time, he added: «Everything will depend on the communities» and on «what the people want».
Opinions varied within the communities themselves. Oleh Pylypenko, head of the Shevchenkove community, proposed relocating residents from the smallest and most devastated villages to larger settlements, where it would be easier to rebuild schools, nurseries and healthcare facilities. In contrast, the Pervomaisk community insisted that they wanted to preserve all their villages.
The area around a private house in the village of Partyzanske; traces of shelling are visible on the fence, photo by NikVestiOver the past three years, the region’s approach has not changed.
The Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration says that the issue of consolidation is not currently being considered. The main focus is on the restoration of housing, critical infrastructure and security. Final decisions regarding the future of specific settlements, the administration notes, will be taken only after the war has ended.
At the same time, they believe that during this period they have managed to achieve the most important thing — restoring basic living conditions for the people. In Kyselivka and Partyzanske, water towers have been restored; in Partyzanske, the local clinic has been repaired; and in Kyselivka, plans have been drawn up for the restoration of educational establishments. Furthermore, according to the administration, 1,899 residents of the community have already received compensation under the «eVidnovlennia» programme totalling over 483 million hryvnias, and more than 200 buildings have been restored with the help of volunteers from «Dobrobat».
Storks in the village of Kyselivka, photo by NikVestiIn our conversations with locals, we heard almost nothing about new roofs, renovated houses or international projects. Instead, they spoke of the school, the nursery, the hospital and work. Things without which people are in no hurry to return, even when their homes have already been rebuilt.
Some of the residents who lost their homes made use of the «eVidnovlennia» certificates and started a new life in other communities. For them, reconstruction was not a return home, but an opportunity to start afresh somewhere else.
That is why, for Kyselivka, Partyzanske, Maksymivka and Luch, the question today is not merely how many homes have been rebuilt. What matters far more is whether these villages will be able to retain those who have stayed and bring back those who have left.
Yuliia Boichenko, NikVesti
This publication was prepared by the editorial team within the project “Supporting Local Media for Transparent Reconstruction Reporting”, implemented by the Institute for Regional Media and Information (IRMI) with the support of the European Union programme together with Denmark, Germany, France and Lithuania “EU4Reconstruction”. The content of the publication is the sole responsibility of the editorial team and does not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union, IRMI or other partners of the initiative.
