Village heads in the Mykolaiv region say that after receiving their «eVidnovlennia» certificates, people are not returning

Village heads in the Mykolaiv region say that some residents whose homes were completely destroyed have received housing vouchers and have decided not to return to their communities.

This is reported in the article by NikVesti entitled «No school, no life». How are the most devastated villages in the Mykolaiv region coping today?

Before the full-scale invasion, around 600 people lived in Kyselivka. Currently, there are approximately 310. The decline in population is primarily due to the fact that some residents, whose homes were completely destroyed, received housing certificates and chose to move and buy homes in other communities rather than return to the village.

«Most people did not 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 Ivan Volko, the head of Kyselivka.

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 collected their certificates, but the plots of land were left abandoned. There’s nothing I can do. What are we supposed to do? Live amidst all these weeds?» 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.

Her own house was completely destroyed, but she received compensation under the state’s «eVidnovlennia» programme and is 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.

Similar developments are taking place in the village of Luch. According to Svitlana Hinzhul, director of the cultural centre, some residents of houses that were beyond repair 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. Currently, around 260 people and 16 children live here.

At the same time, there are examples of infrastructure being restored in Partyzanske. With support from Denmark, a health centre has been rebuilt here; it is already up and running and seeing patients.

«The clinic had been destroyed, but it was rebuilt with the support of the Danish Refugee Council. Every year, a private clinic from Kyiv comes here to carry out medical examinations, ultrasounds and gynaecological consultations. This is free of charge,» said Raisa Shulha.

In conversations with village heads and residents, everyone noted that there are currently no problems with basic necessities — water, gas and electricity supplies have been restored. This was the first thing to be restored in the villages following de-occupation. This situation is typical of Partyzanske, Kyselivka and Luch.

At the same time, the situation in Maksymivka is different. Only 10–12 families currently live in the village. There is no proper water supply.

«People fetch water either from a pond or from a borehole. The water tower has been destroyed, but they still manage to pump water from there somehow. The situation is critical. I don’t even know what will happen next,» says Ivan Volko, the village head of a neighbouring village.

Read also the article by NikVesti entitled «How «eVidnovlennia» works in Mykolaiv and whether the compensation covers people’s needs».