Locations
Recovery in Ukraine begins in communities – in the everyday choices, initiatives and resilience of people who refuse to pause their lives despite the war.
These stories reflect how the Area-Based Recovery approach – implemented by UNDP in Ukraine together with partners – supports communities to rebuild not only infrastructure, but also trust, opportunities and a sense of future.
From frontline cities to small towns, local leaders, professionals and residents are shaping recovery themselves – demonstrating that development is possible even under the toughest conditions.
Zlatopil highlights how small communities can drive meaningful transformation. By investing in youth engagement, social services and local development, Zlatopil is creating opportunities for people to stay, return and build their future locally.
Community initiatives – from youth spaces to a social adaptation centre – are strengthening cohesion and restoring a sense of belonging, showing that recovery is not only about stability, but also about creating reasons to remain and grow.
After enduring blockade and isolation in the early months of the full-scale invasion, the Konotop community shifted from spontaneous volunteer efforts to structured, long-term recovery planning.
Today, Konotop is strengthening its health care services, supporting youth initiatives and building institutional capacity, demonstrating how resilience, when organized, can become a driver of sustainable development.
Kremenchuk shows how resilience can evolve into a system of care. Despite repeated strikes and ongoing disruptions to infrastructure, the city is continuing to support a growing population, including thousands of internally displaced people.
Through integrated social service centres, mobile teams and inclusive spaces, the community has built a model where assistance is accessible, coordinated and centred around people’s real needs.
In Sumy, recovery is unfolding alongside the realities of frontline life. The city is continuing to function under constant threat, yet it is investing steadily in strengthening its systems and services.
Through modern medical training facilities, rehabilitation centres for veterans and participatory development platforms, Sumy is building capacity that allows the community not only to respond to challenges, but also to evolve.
Zaporizhzhia embodies resilience in action. Located close to the front line, the city is situated amid persistent risk, requiring emergency responders, medical teams and municipal services to act swiftly and decisively.
However, Zaporizhzhia is continuing to support displaced people, strengthen social cohesion and create opportunities for development, proving that even in the most challenging conditions, communities can adapt and move forward.
Snihurivka’s recovery is shaped by both resilience and reinvention. After months of occupation, destruction and the lasting consequences of the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, the community faced severe labour shortages and economic disruption.
In response, it turned to education and reskilling as key tools for development, enabling residents to take on new roles in agriculture, construction and local services. Women entering traditionally male professions, adults returning to learning and families rebuilding their livelihoods all reflect a deeper transformation, in which recovery is driven by people’s ability to adapt, learn and support one another.
Illustrations: UNDP in Ukraine
