LocationsHow a community in Mykolaiv Oblast is rebuilding with help from UNDP and its partners
Snihurivka: a town that stood firm
April 21, 2026
The Snihurivka community in the south of Ukraine bore the scars of eight months of occupation for a long time. Some remain to this day.
Those returning saw empty streets, destroyed schools, cold basements, looted houses without power and food queues. In autumn 2022, the community was returned to Ukrainian government control, marking the beginning of a gradual and stubborn recovery.
Four years of war have not only seen destruction and tragedy, but they have seen women stepping into tractor cabs to work the fields. They have seen teachers and children eager to return to their desks, medics who care more for their patients than themselves, police officers serving their home community, and young people finding the strength to grow despite the circumstances.
With support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine and international partners, the Snihurivka community is restoring more than just buildings; it is rebuilding trust, services, jobs and a sense of normality.
After the darkness
Snihurivka was built on the banks of the Inhulets River. The town’s significance lies in its position on key rail and road routes leading to Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kakhovka and further south, making it a vital logistical hub.
On 19 March 2022, Russian forces invading Ukraine captured the town. Some residents were forced to flee, while others remained under constant fear and uncertainty.
The Ukrainian flag returned to Snihurivka on 10 November 2022. The challenge of reconstruction arose immediately. Residential buildings, administrative offices and critical infrastructure had all suffered damage.
However, a further ordeal followed in summer 2023 with the destruction of the Kakhovka dam. The breach occurred at 2.50 a.m. By the morning of 6 June, water levels in the community’s settlements had reached record highs. Most of the two dozen villages in the area were flooded. Soil contamination and the flooding of wells, homes and farmland have caused long-lasting environmental, social and demographic consequences.
Snihurivka has faced many challenges but, despite this, the community has become an exemplar of resilience.
“She can”
The greatest challenges that Snihurivka faces are economic, as they are related to a shortage of people and manual labour. To solve the problem and help the community, a programme was implemented to provide reskilling opportunities for adults. The idea was realized with support from UNDP and the Government of Denmark. The training was to take place at the local vocational lyceum.
Before the full-scale Russian invasion, the Snihurivka Professional Lyceum operated in a stable mode: in-person lessons, practical sessions in workshops and laboratories, industrial internships at enterprises and active leisure.
The war changed everything. The staff faced the task of restoring what survived and finding new ways of working that would meet the needs of the community.
“We essentially started from scratch. We lost documentation and property. One of the buildings that was destroyed by artillery shelling housed both the assembly hall and the canteen, and everything required restoration,” director Viktoriia Khomiakova said.
Although international organizations helped equip the space, when it comes to recovery the lyceum focuses not only on repairs but also on training. One such initiative is the training of women tractor drivers.
In the Snihurivka community, these women tractor drivers work in a field that was historically dominated by men. In times of full-scale war, when many residents stood up to defend the country, women took responsibility for work in the fields. Currently, they are ensuring the continuity of agricultural production and the community’s economic stability.
In April 2024, the lyceum opened a course colloquially known as “She Can.” Eight women mastered the craft, gaining new skills and partially moving into the field.
“The women who became tractor drivers had different motivations: some wanted a career change, some needed to provide for their families after losing a husband, but all sought to help others,” Viktoriia shared.
One of the graduates was Nataliia Steshyna. Previously, her family worked in poultry farming and later they had a small farm. Without hesitation, the woman came to the classroom again and mastered a new profession. She received a tractor driver’s licence and, with it, a job at a local agricultural firm. After divorcing her husband, she had to leave her own farm. Now she lives in Snihurivka and is focused on working in the field.
Photo credit: Ivan Antypenko / Reporters / UNDP in Ukraine
“Seasonal work involves different workloads. In winter, we follow a five-day schedule from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but during the sowing and harvesting seasons, working days are longer and shifts are required. At first, the team was sceptical about a woman behind the wheel, but over time we proved that we work on equal terms with the men,” Nataliia said.
During two years of work, Nataliia has learned a lot: both practical skills and the nuances of working in the field came with experience. The tractor driver notes that the Snihurivka community is gradually recovering, and people are returning. Although the shelling is not subsiding, the demand for agricultural specialities among women is growing.
The town faces constant demand for skilled labour. In response, the lyceum has been exploiting new solutions, including the launch of short-term courses for adults seeking to acquire construction skills, such as tiling, painting or plastering.
The courses followed a practical structure, with 30 percent devoted to theory and 70 percent to hands-on learning. Participants gained practical experience by carrying out repair work at the lyceum itself: restoring walls, the roof and windows. They were equipped with modern power tools, professional finishing equipment and materials provided by UNDP.
“The new equipment improved the quality of training, shortened the adaptation period for graduates, motivated students and helped to increase the employment rate. The training became lively, modern and effective,” said vocational trainer Oksana Pyrih.
The students taught by Oksana, a teacher with 33 years of experience, include many adults. Before the full-scale war, they never thought they would have to master construction. These are veterans, displaced persons and locals who have lost their jobs and are trying to quickly learn a profession needed during the war.
“Here, every lesson is a contribution to reconstruction, every graduate provides real help to the community. The realization that you are teaching people who will tomorrow restore schools, houses and social facilities imbues the work with deep meaning and responsibility. It is important to ensure that lifelong education continues, and to create conditions for ongoing professional development,” Oksana emphasized.
Forty-year-old Valentyna Strelchenko is an accountant by profession. Until 2022, she worked as a senior operator at a petrol station. Because of the war, she lost her home in Snihurivka, her job and her normal life. The family with four children – the eldest son is 23 and the youngest daughter is 12 – moved to the village of Ievhenivka in the same community, where her husband’s relatives live. They found a small house that still needed work and repair. Over time, Valentyna’s children enrolled at the Snihurivka Professional Lyceum: her son to become a builder and her older daughter a pastry chef. The woman was also offered construction courses, and she did not hesitate for long.
“There is little work in the village, so I took on side jobs: whitewashing or plastering for someone. But I realized I lacked knowledge. I wanted to make sure I was doing everything correctly,” Valentyna explained.
On the courses, she started with the basics: how to prepare a wall, how to correctly prime a surface and how materials differ. She was most fascinated by decorative plastering.
“It wasn’t just theory – we practised everything with our own hands: cleaning cracks, attaching mesh, plastering, applying decorative layers and varnishing. We trained in the lyceum dormitory, which was being restored after being damaged,” Valentyna recalled.
Valentyna jokes that the eyes are afraid, but the hands do the work. She has plenty of work, as many houses have been destroyed in the village. After the summer fires that swept through Ievhenivka in 2025, she helped a fellow villager restore her house. Others have now queued up behind her.
“Live and learn. Who else if not us?” she added.
The Snihurivka Lyceum is a student campus on 11 hectares of land where people study and develop regardless of age. Currently, more than 160 students are learning a profession here, some of whom are displaced persons from Kherson Oblast.
When the children return, the town lives
Before the start of the full-scale invasion, four secondary education institutions operated in Snihurivka: a district gymnasium, a flagship lyceum, and Lyceums 1 and 3. Each was more or less devastated by the war.
During the bombings and occupation, Lyceum 3’s basement became a shelter for dozens of town residents. Blankets, pillows, mattresses and dishes were brought here. People shared space and food and comforted the children. Most people left the basement only during short intervals of silence, and so it continued for eight months, from March to November.
Several Russian aerial bombs destroyed nearly 40 buildings nearby, while the lyceum was left without windows, with a damaged roof and shrapnel marks.
Director Nataliia Pastukhova took charge of this institution after the Ukrainian government regained control in the community. Her previous gymnasium – which she had managed for over 20 years – was closed due to serious damage and the falling number of schoolchildren in Snihurivka.
“Students were divided between the flagship lyceum and Lyceum 3; they followed their class teachers or went closer to home. At the start of the school year, we had 503 children, and the flagship lyceum had almost 700. The staff also changed, as some teachers went abroad,” Nataliia said.
Nataliia and her husband left the town at the start of the occupation, in March 2022. She still regrets leaving 17 orchids on the windowsill, and having to release the fish from the aquarium. They returned to a free Snihurivka, but one that was cold and frozen in time.
“The town was dead: not a soul on the streets, the bridges destroyed, and no electricity, water or gas. The roads were mined; a tank raced past us through a field, spraying mud in all directions. A neighbour brought us five bottles of hot water so we could spend the night at home without freezing,” she recalled.
In cooperation with the European Union (EU) and UNDP, work began to restore the lyceum. Extensive work was carried out to reinforce 1,800 square metres of shelter under the building: new ventilation, additional exits and a lift for people with disabilities. While the shelter is still being prepared to receive children, learning is continuing in a blended format: two weeks online and three weeks in person at the local Children and Youth Creativity Centre, which has a shelter in case of an air raid alert.
The Russian invasion has changed Snihurivka for many years to come: there is much still to rebuild here. Meanwhile, a kindergarten has already been repaired. At the start of the occupation, some families with children stayed in the town, while others left. Those who remained waited out the most difficult days and nights in the kindergarten’s basement.
When the institution’s director, Iryna Timush, first saw the kindergarten after the occupation, she thought it was a nightmare. Windows, the roof and playgrounds were being smashed by shrapnel, and the territory was cluttered. It was especially difficult, she said, to see the places where children used to play.
“The main thing is that the walls are intact. We will restore everything else,” Iryna recalled her first words on the threshold of the kindergarten.
The restoration took place largely thanks to support from the EU and UNDP. The roof and facade were repaired, and the main entrance was fitted with new paving stones and gates. The youngest group’s room was thoroughly renovated: the ceiling and floor were renewed, the walls were painted, lamps were replaced, linoleum was laid and new doors were installed.
The kindergarten began full operations in October 2025. While before the full-scale war there were 90 pupils or fewer, in 2026, there are already over 120. In Snihurivka, this is the only institution for preschoolers operating in person. Before 2022, there were five kindergartens: one was closed in 2023, and three others still operate remotely due to a lack of shelters.
Despite the war, alarms and a staff shortage, the kindergarten continues to work. The children know the procedure for air raids, and the staff are trained to act in a coordinated manner.
“The little ones need teachers. And I was born here, grew up here... Responsibility for these children and their parents motivates me to stay,” Iryna explained.
An invincibility hospital
The town hospital became an island of life in Snihurivka during the darkest months, and later its ‘Point of Invincibility’.
After Snihurivka returned to the control of the Government of Ukraine, necessary aid gradually arrived at the hospital: generators, oxygen concentrators, medicines, special vehicles and humanitarian shipments. Step by step, the institution grew stronger. Doctors began to learn not only how to save others but also how to look after themselves.
Cooperation with UNDP began in 2024. With assistance from the Government of Denmark, the medical facility received a ‘Mobile Medical Services’ vehicle. This is a specialized transporter for providing medical care in remote villages. With it, mobile medical teams gained the ability to visit communities with limited access to inpatient facilities. These clinics on wheels are equipped with autonomous power, a portable ultrasound diagnostic device, an otoscope (a manual medical diagnostic tool for examining ears) and a dermatoscope (a portable medical optical instrument for examining skin growths, moles, hair and nails), allowing specialists – otolaryngologists, dermatologists, urologists, surgeons and trauma specialists – to examine patients on site.
“The mobile clinic deploys as needed, coordinating routes with the town administration. The vehicle is also used to safely transport patients,” explained Volodymyr Todosenko, director of the Snihurivka Town Hospital.
In addition, UNDP and Denmark helped set up four workstations for medical staff, renewing furniture and computer equipment.
“Our furniture and technology were outdated, especially the cupboards and tables. Simultaneously, we decided to modernize and repair the premises,” Volodymyr said.
Also in progress is a psycho-emotional relief room with a massage chair, VR goggles and special sensory boards to support the medics’ psychological wellbeing.
“In the future, this space will help our employees improve their psycho-emotional state. We have already found that even regular communication with psychologists helps medical staff to relax. I believe this is very timely,” Volodymyr said.
The head of the hospital notes that the greatest factor of success for him is the staff who remained to work here. The main problem now is a shortage of personnel, especially specialist doctors. However, the staff are supported as much as possible: 16 nurses completed a two-day training session on care of patients with limited mobility. The training was also made possible with assistance from UNDP and the Government of Denmark.
“We practised aspects of care for such patients: their movement, setting up a safe space and working with oxygen concentrators, catheters and palliative equipment. A separate block was about how to restore resources and not lose oneself in daily work,” head nurse Nataliia Dvoretska said.
Psychological support was part of this training, allowing the team to recharge emotionally.
“We are used to the idea that a medic must always be strong, and has no right to be tired. I have worked in the hospital for 30 years; previously, we learned from instructions and protocols. But we never spoke about psychological support and how to avoid burning out,” Nataliia noted.
Because of the war, most of the nurses had not left Snihurivka for a long time: some have husbands at the front; others have seriously ill parents at home. Therefore, initially, most of them refused to go to Mykolaiv for the training. They were eventually convinced: a bus took the group for training in the morning and returned them home in the evening. Ultimately, people saw that this was not an obstacle, but rather a huge help.
“For my nurses, it was a new breath of life. We all breathed a sigh of relief,” Nataliia recalled.
Practical knowledge was needed quickly: the hospital already had modern anti-decubitus materials and aids, but the staff did not always know how to use them correctly. After the training, nurses began using new methods for patient movement and pressure sore prevention. As of the end of February 2026, there are about a dozen patients with limited mobility in Snihurivka hospital, some of whom are older people or have oncological diseases, so there is plenty of work.
Despite her exhaustion, Nataliia Dvoretska cannot imagine herself outside the hospital.
“Medicine is not just a profession: it is a vocation. I grew up in this hospital. This is my home. Why should I leave my home?” she wondered.
Over the last four years, Snihurivka hospital has received the wounded, sheltered people who have lost their homes and worked without electricity or communication. And it is continuing this work, now knowing well: to support others, you must learn to take care of yourself.
Restoring the state locally
On 24 February 2022, the staff of the Snihurivka court arrived at their workplaces in a state of uncertainty; no one understood how to act.
On 10 March, Russian tanks were seen in the town, and on 19 March, it was occupied. Everyone decided for themselves whether to leave or stay. Several court employees remained in Snihurivka because of relatives or older parents.
Olha Shvaiuk, the head of the court administration, left the town in March to ensure her children’s safety. She returned two weeks after Snihurivka was returned to the control of the Government of Ukraine and found the court building in a terrible state: looted equipment, mangled furniture, a mess and destruction. Surprisingly, the paper archive – which keeps court cases dating back to 1944 – remained completely intact.
The court resumed full operation in May 2023. Since then, the most common request in court has been the establishment of facts regarding deaths that occurred during the occupation.
“There were mixed feelings: joy at returning and an understanding of how much work lay ahead,” Olha Shvaiuk shared.
With assistance from UNDP and the Government of Denmark, the court was provided with computer equipment, a generator and new server equipment.
The Administrative Service Centre (ASC), another institution needed for community viability, has operated under the Snihurivka Town Council since 2020. In February 2022, the Centre closed a few days after the invasion.
The staff also had a mountain of work: inspecting destroyed housing, drawing up reports and helping people record damages.
Before the full-scale invasion, the institution was based in the local House of Culture, which was substantially damaged in 2022. With support from UNDP and Denmark, and in partnership with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the ASC received a new office with 12 workstations equipped with modern technology and furniture. It provides over 360 services.
A mobile Centre team has also started working.
“Specialists travel to residents of remote villages or to people with limited mobility, people with disabilities, and older adults. In 2025, for example, two older women applied to register their places of residence; it was difficult for them to reach specialists on their own. Generally, the Centre receives the most applications regarding subsidies, benefits, real estate registration and the restoration of documents,” explained Oleksandr Korzhenko, acting head of the department for organizing and supporting the Snihurivka ASC.
According to Oleksandr, during power cuts, the ASC becomes an ‘Invincibility Point,’ a place where people can charge phones and warm up.
Local police also had to start the restoration of the town virtually from scratch. The station building was destroyed, the community’s territory was mined, and resources were limited. It was during this period that support from UNDP and Denmark played a significant role in the recovery. Together, they managed to launch a network of police stations in the settlements in Mykolaiv Oblast.
“Effectively, we had nowhere to house the local police units. Therefore, this project helped us greatly. In this way, we set up workstations for community police officers,” said Oleksandr Kozlovets, head of the sector for interaction with communities of the preventive activities department of the Mykolaiv Oblast Police.
These police stations exist in Snihurivka and the villages of Vasylivka and Novovasylivka. They are full-fledged service offices based in administrative buildings. With assistance from UNDP and Denmark, they received everything they needed to equip the premises: furniture, computer equipment, printers and charging stations.
“The main advantage is making the police accessible and ensuring a constant police presence. Even if a service vehicle with its lights on simply drives through a settlement, it already somewhat tempers citizens inclined towards offences. This is a model of a police presence in the community. The officer has his own district, a service car and an equipped workplace,” Oleksandr said.
International support made it possible to quickly create proper working conditions and select community officers who today work in the Snihurivka district.
“Each of them is a local resident. It is a fundamental condition that the officer not only works but also lives in the community territory, knows the people personally and understands the local context,” Oleksandr Kozlovets explained.
Currently, law enforcement officers participate in stabilization measures, document the consequences of shelling, work on mine safety, and help residents during bad weather. In this way, international support makes it possible to restore the police’s systematic work in remote villages in these territories.
Uniting for development
Even during the war, a new active community of youth is forming in Snihurivka, despite the fact that some of these people have left the town.
All the professional activities of Snihurivka resident Kateryna Lypiuk are connected with youth. She is a senior specialist at the department of culture, youth and sports of Snihurivka Town Council, a member of the Active Youth of Snihurivka NGO and one of the coordinators of the ‘Art Power’ project.
The idea for this initiative was born during the opening of a local youth space in the town. The team decided to combine the launch of a new meeting place with a series of events for the psychological relief of youth and the development of volunteering.
According to Kateryna, after the occupation and remote learning, youth are experiencing stress and emotional exhaustion, which is why they began the support space. They chose art as a tool – an accessible and safe way to work with emotions.
In September and October 2024, the team organized five art therapy sessions, bibliotherapy and a training session on self-help in crisis situations with the participation of psychologists. The young people painted with their fingers, sculpted from clay, discussed books and shared their own stories.
“Bibliotherapy was a revelation for many. Participants wrote stories together, passing the sheets around in a circle, shared favourite books and discovered new genres. The event combined creativity and sincere communication with humour and trust,” Kateryna recalled.
Thanks to UNDP and the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, they were able to purchase materials for workshops and fully realize the plan. During the two-month project, a team of active young volunteers formed in Snihurivka. Today, youth continue to unite in their space and interact with the town.
When asked what keeps Kateryna in Snihurivka, she answers: the desire to be useful.
“If not me, then who? Working with youth, I see results: interested eyes, new initiatives, a readiness to act. This gives Snihurivka the chance to move forward despite the war,” she said.
People here believe this movement cannot be stopped.
***
Snihurivka community survived occupation, destruction and the breaching of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, yet it began reconstruction from scratch and is recovering with support from the Government of Ukraine and international partners. All of this is gradually returning the community’s ability to live and develop.
This material was prepared as part of the flagship “EU4Recovery – Empowering Communities in Ukraine” partnership between UNDP and the EU.
Photo credit: Maksym Kishka / Reporters / UNDP in Ukraine
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