Teenagers are gathering in a derelict building near Mykolaiv, despite the ban
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- Julia LukyanenkoReporter
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In a village near Mykolaiv, teenagers are entering a dilapidated building. Photo: Viktoriia DenysovaThe premises of an old, abandoned sports hall in the village of Poligon near Mykolaiv are in a state of disrepair. Despite the danger, teenagers gather there and ignore warnings.
Viktoriia Denysova wrote about this on behalf of the staff at the cultural centre in the «Our Village Polihon» group.
The old, abandoned sports hall is situated near the village’s cultural centre. As Viktoria Denysova pointed out, the building is in a state of disrepair, so it is dangerous to go inside.
«These aren’t just old walls — they pose a threat to the life and health of anyone who goes in there! The roof could collapse at any moment,» wrote Viktoriia Denysova.
She noted that warning tape had been put up at the entrance to the building, indicating that entry is prohibited due to the danger.
«Despite the warning tape and signs, teenagers are constantly gathering there. They are usually secondary school pupils. Our staff have repeatedly tried to chase them away, but are met only with rudeness and foul language. The children do not realise the danger and ignore the adults’ warnings,» reads the statement from the cultural centre.
Therefore, representatives of the cultural centre have appealed to the pupils’ parents to explain the dangers of the premises to them.
In the comments, Mariia Holovchenko, a resident of the village, suggested that talking to them would have no effect. Instead, she proposed solving the problem by closing off the entrance to the sports hall.
«This has been going on for years. It’s a gathering place for drug addicts and alcoholics, and children from the playground run into the toilets. And everyone knows about it. I think parents tell them at home where they can and cannot go. But they’re children. They’re part of society; they look up to one another. And it’s always been like that — they want to do what everyone else does. Practical measures are indeed needed. Firstly, as the ward representative suggests, we should block off the doorway,» proposed Mariia Holovchenko.
In her view, the local police officer could also be invited to hold a preventative talk with the teenagers.
In a village near Mykolaiv, teenagers are attending classes in a building declared unsafe. Photo: Viktoriia DenysovaIryna Naumovych, the head of the Polihon settlement, confirmed to NikVesti that the building had indeed previously been declared unsafe. According to her, the problem arose in September, as the area had been cleared of scrub and pupils began studying nearby.
«We cleared away the scrub there and tidied everything up. And they started going there. This problem began in September, quite literally,» noted the village head.
The head of Polihon added that they would like to repair the building, but there is currently no money for it: there are more pressing needs, in particular, the repair of the outpatient clinic.
«Renovating the building is a very costly and complicated undertaking. There are large floor slabs there that need to be removed using heavy machinery. There’s no access to it. And there’s also a mosaic on it dating back to Soviet times. It was photographed and included in the catalogue of Ukrainian mosaics. So that needs to be moved or removed somehow too. I would, of course, very much like to restore it; it used to be a very beautiful and large sports hall. Our top priority right now is the outpatient clinic, which is also on the verge of falling apart. And the cultural centre is in the same state — there’s already a large crack in it,» noted Iryna Naumovych.
Until the building can be repaired, they plan to block off the entrance to the sports hall.
As a reminder, the outpatient clinic in the village of Poliрon, near Mykolaiv, is short of medical staff. The only GP has switched to part-time work, so fewer than half the residents can register with him, whilst the rest have to seek care in other towns and villages.
This material was produced within the REACH – Media Partnerships for Accountability and Trust project, implemented by International Media Support (IMS) and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. The content reflects the views of the authors and not necessarily those of the Danish government. Denmark’s support strengthens civil society and independent media in Ukraine, including in Mykolaiv.