Dvorichna settlement hromada

Overview

The hromada is largely composed of flat, agricultural land, with virtually no industrial areas. In line with this, the hromada is also largely undeveloped, only gaining access to electricity more recently, and remains with little outside communication or internet. Because of this, while the hromada does have an official website, it is sparsely updated with new information.

Before the Russo-Ukrainian war, income in the hromada came entirely from agriculture, animal husbandry, accounting, education, medicine, and administration. The hromada did notably have a successful sports school in the head administrative settlement Dvorichna, along with multiple other schools and a kindergarten.

History

Founding and early years

The hromada was created on 12 June 2020 after merging 14 settlement councils within the soon to be abolished Dvorichna Raion. Upon establishment, the hromada became the local government for 55 settlements, and had a total population of 16,568 in January 2021.

The hromada held their first elections on 25 October 2020, where Dvorichna native Turbaba Halyna Hryhorivna was elected as Head of the Hromada. Before the war in 2022, the hromada had a total population of approximately 16,500 within a 1,109.1 km2 (428.2 sq mi) area.

Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)

The entire hromada was occupied by Russian forces in their initial invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. During full occupation, Halyna Turbaba was imprisoned twice for refusing to cooperate with the Russian military. During Turbaba's first imprisonment lasting one month, and second imprisonment 50 days, some lesser hromada officials agreed to work with the Russians. In this time: better houses, along with useful equipment from farms, were reportedly confiscated by the Russian military. Many residents likewise left for the Russian border or travel across a dam going over the Pecheneg Reservoir to territory controlled by Ukrainian forces.

The territorial situation only changed in the hromada after the successful Kharkiv counteroffensive conducted by Ukrainian forces during September 2022, where control of the hromada was ultimately divided along the Oskil river by 12 September, and remained this way with some exceptions. After the counteroffensive, those lesser officials who worked with the Russians fled the hromada, and many former-residents who left for Russia returned to live in Kharkiv or moved to other European nations including Czechia, Germany, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland, as the now-frontline hromada was placed under mandatory evacuation. This depopulation led to only about 2,000 residents remaining in the recaptured areas of the hromada by December 2022, and only 1,100 residents by April 2023, consisting primarily of the elderly, with only 60 of whom being children.

Also by December 2022, 30% of all residential buildings in the hromada were believed to have been destroyed, alongside much of the hromada's educational, medical, recreational infrastructure, and administrative buildings. Daily shelling of the hromada that had taken place since Ukraine's counteroffensive additionally destroyed much of the head administrative settlement Dvorichna: including all 35 apartment buildings there, and 70% of residential buildings. Neighboring villages similarly suffered, with the north-east village of Kamianka having 100% of buildings damaged or destroyed, and the population drop from around 1,000 to 10 by January 2023. All buildings not bordering neighboring settlement hromadas have also lost access to electricity, gas, and heat, leading to the hromada's post offices, banks, pharmacies, and other reliant establishments being closed indefinitely.

Because of these factors, much of the remaining population either lives in their yards or basements because of damages from the war. Humanitarian aid consisting of food, hygiene, firewood, fuel, and other highly needed items are delivered on average twice a month to residents, making still living in the hromada possible. A bakery built by humanitarian workers along with local village vegetable gardens also provide more food than necessary to residents. A local doctor and ambulance also provides medical assistance despite the lack of a functioning pharmacy. Administration is still led by Turbaba, and two other officials, with more opting to work remotely. There is little to no communication with the occupied half of the hromada, with there existing the possibility of a humanitarian disaster.

Demographics

As of the 2001 Ukrainian census, the hromada counted a population of 22,062 registered inhabitants. The linguistic composition of the population was as follows:

List of settlements

The hromada contains the rural settlement Dvorichna, which serves as the administrative center, as well as an additional 54 populated places: