Oleksandr Tertyshnyi, Head of Borova settlement military administration in the Izium district, Kharkiv region, speaks about the assistance to the Armed Forces, evacuation of local residents, as well as about the participation in the Shoulder to Shoulder: Cohesive Communities National Project initiated by the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, which gave the half-destroyed community hope for the future.

By Dmytro Syniak

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When an Iskander ballistic missile struck peaceful Izium on 4 February, six civilians who had come to the migration service that day to obtain their documents were murdered. Five of the victims were residents of the Borova settlement territorial community of the Izium district, which is located literally on the front line. The conversation with Oleksandr Tertyshnyi, Head of the Borova settlement military administration and, prior to that, Head of the Borova settlement council, started with a discussion of this horrific Russian crime. The community keeps fighting, helping the army and its residents. Lately, it has also hoped for recovery with the support of Shoulder to Shoulder: Cohesive Communities National Project initiated by the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine.

 

Oleksandr Tertyshnyi, Head of the Borova settlement military administration in the Izium district of Kharkiv region, in his office in Borova, destroyed to the ground by a Russian drone in late 2023

 

Civilians killed in Izium

 

Why did the residents of the Borova community perish in Izium? What were they doing there? Was an air raid alert announced?

They attended the migration service to fill out some documents, and this office was located right next to the building struck by the Russian missile. The air raid alert was announced, but the Iskander is a ballistic missile, it hit too fast for people to take any measures to save their lives. Everything happened almost immediately: as soon as the alert sounded, there was an explosion. We lost five of our residents. Two sisters were killed, one with a one-and-a-half-year-old child, the other one was pregnant. That is a nightmare; no words can describe the Russian thugs... The deceased lived in the village of Pidlyman and the settlement of Borova. One of the women, the one with a one-and-a-half-year-old child, had evacuated to Kharkiv long time before. But on that day, she came to her hometown to her misfortune to fill out some documents.

 

Residential building with 16 apartments in Borova settlement after direct hit by Russian missile

 

How do community residents live under constant Russian shelling?

Evacuation is currently underway from the part of the Borova community that is located on the left bank of the Oskil River. About 1,500 of our residents still live there. However, there are no children among them. Their parents, including with the help of volunteers and the humanitarian coordination centre at the Kharkiv regional military administration, relocated them to safer areas. Overall, the community totals about 2,500 residents, including 61 children. Before the full-scale war, there were 15,500 residents. Such is our situation... Despite the shelling, in Borova, which is on the left bank of the river, the Borova military administration, Borova settlement council, administrative service centre (ASC), hospital, bank, pharmacy, all utilities are functioning, providing people with heat, gas, electricity and water. So far, everything is functioning as it should, albeit at the cost of enormous efforts by utility workers and other employees who work heroically and selflessly. Unfortunately, many houses are windowless. We cover them with plywood sheets as people continue to live in some of these houses. We provide them with comprehensive assistance. Many charitable foundations assist us, including the ‘Proliska’ Humanitarian Mission, which helps us cover the windows of damaged houses. The Adra Foundation provides us with food and hygiene products. The whole community is grateful for their help. However, we still urge residents of the left bank to evacuate.

Is there a place for community residents to evacuate to?

Yes. In Kharkiv, volunteers are accommodating our people in dormitories. After registering at their new place of residence, settlers receive financial assistance as internally displaced persons. They also receive financial assistance from the Coordination and Humanitarian Centre at the Kharkiv regional military administration. All they need to do is to obtain a certificate of evacuation from the ASC. But the majority of Borova inhabitants now reside in the town of Izium. After all, it is our district centre, so people feel almost at home there. Even though Izium suffered severe damage in 2022, much has been restored. A large number of employees of utility companies, including the settlement council, stay in Izium at night. During the day, they go to work in Borova, across the dam of the Oskil reservoir, which is subject to frequent shelling by the Russians, and return to Izium for the night. At night, the risk of dying from a Russian missile or a shell is much higher.

 

Aftermath of a guided aerial bomb strike on the private sector of Borova settlement

 

What are the biggest challenges you face as a community leader?

Our most important task is to protect what we have, so that people have a place to return to. It is a matter of both housing stock and critical infrastructure: electricity, gas, heat and water supply. The healthcare sector in the community is well performing, and we are making every effort to ensure that it continues to function at the proper level, even in these tough conditions. Currently, family doctors are still working in Borova, but some of them have already relocated to Izium, where they will also be in high demand.

 

Oleksandr Tertyshnyi in the summer of 2023 at the restored stele at the entrance to Borova settlement

 

Life under occupation and on the front line

 

Your community was under occupation for half a year. What were the consequences of it?

The enemy occupied Borova on 13 April 2022. People were under constant psychological pressure, intimidated and threatened. Unfortunately, the occupiers even tortured some of the residents to elicit ‘military secrets’. Yet, on 3-4 October 2022, the Russian army fled in a terrible panic, leaving behind much of their property. I returned to Borova with a few employees of the settlement council in the afternoon of 3 October. And guess what? All the Russian tricolours that had been painted on poles and in other public places were already painted yellow and blue by then. Such patriotic people are here! As soon as the Russians fled, the residents took paint and removed Russian symbols everywhere. Unfortunately, the front line later stopped a few kilometres from our boundaries, near Svatove, and has been a constant threat to us ever since. And now the enemy is advancing again, attacking from all sides and trying to reach the Oskil River with a wide front.

How does the Borova community help the military at the front now?

In 2023-2024 alone, the budget of the settlement council allocated almost UAH 80 million in subventions to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We have purchased many necessities for the front line, and our women constantly weave camouflage nets. Apart from financial resources, we provide the military with food, logistics, and construction of various fortifications, to name a few. Many local residents serve in the army and literally defend their homes.

 

Shoulder to shoulder with a friend

 

Please share your community’s experience of joining the Shoulder to Shoulder: Cohesive Communities Project. How did you find out about it and why did you decide to participate?

We first heard about the Shoulder to Shoulder Project from the media, and later we were informed in detail by the Izium district military administration, which was followed by a strong recommendation to join the project. In particular, we were advised to sign a memorandum with the Zhashkiv city territorial community in Cherkasy region. This community is very similar to ours, also agricultural and small. I met with its Head, Ihor Tsybrovskyi, in Kyiv, at a special event on 22 January this year, dedicated to the Day of Unity. We immediately discussed with him potential areas of cooperation.

 

Oleksandr Tertyshnyi, Head of the Borova settlement military administration (left), and Ihor Tsybrovskyi, Head of the Zhashkiv city territorial community in Cherkasy region, shortly after meeting at the presentation of the Shoulder to Shoulder: Cohesive Communities Project in Kyiv on 22 January 2025

 

What specific areas were you talking about?

These areas can be numerous, because our community has suffered significant destruction during the three years of war. I will not give exact figures so that the enemy does not use them to their advantage, but the destruction is extensive, especially on the left bank of the Oskil River, where the centre of the community, the settlement of Borova, is located. There is little left of the settlement centre. Administrative buildings, stores, educational and medical institutions, as well as many private houses were destroyed. Some villages within our community that were occupied in the spring and liberated in the autumn of 2022 are now occupied again. Of course, there is also much destruction there. The villages that are on the line of combat actions are also severely destroyed. On the community average, we have lost about 30-40% of the housing stock. Many communal facilities have also been damaged. Therefore, we will need literally everything and will be grateful for any help.

What kind of restoration could be discussed right now?

Only the restoration of networks, especially electricity networks, which are now a priority target for the enemy. On the other hand, the enemy has recently intensified its attacks and, unfortunately, has been slowly advancing. It has already reached the Oskil River on the border of Izium and Kupiansk districts. Now the orcs are trying to advance from there towards Borova. Until the front line is stabilised, no serious reconstruction of housing and communal facilities can be expected. Nevertheless, we have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Zhashkiv community, so we have started joint activities.

What is your impression of the Shoulder to Shoulder: Cohesive Communities Project?

I will not palter the truth saying that I am not expecting some big financial flows or some incredible partnership assistance within this project. Yet, I understand that this project is necessary, that it is timely, because we need to unite the nation at all costs. And by uniting communities, one can unite the nation very easily. Just compare the importance of two concepts – restoring communities and uniting the nation. Unification is much more important. Within the Shoulder to Shoulder Project, it is successfully achieved. Ukrainians are turning into a single monolithic nation with a great future. This is the most important thing. And with this unity, all problematic issues will be addressed easier. Apart from that, if one helps the other in the tough conditions of war, both get something more than just help.

In tough times, it is indispensable to feel the friend’s shoulder. Yet, perhaps, you expect some specific, tangible result of cooperation with the Zhashkiv community? Please elaborate on this.

Certainly, Zhashkiv Mayor Ihor Tsybrovskyi and I discussed quite tangible matters: the budget, humanitarian aid, cultural cooperation and recreation for children. By the way, when the war is over, we will be able to pay off our debts, so to speak. The nature here is beautiful, and our community was a real pearl of Slobozhanshchyna, with several recreation centres functioning on its territory. When all recreation facilities are restored, we will be happy to welcome those who helped us withstand these extremely tough times.

 

“A Russian drone struck right at my office”

 

What do you plan to start with? And when?

The most realistic project right now is rehabilitation of our children in Zhashkiv, which is a great place for rehabilitation after the stress of living almost on the front line. I think when we do meet with Ihor Tsybrovskyi, we will discuss many more details. I hope we will meet in the coming weeks. Mayor Tsybrovskyi personally offered to visit us and see everything first-hand, but the security situation is currently preventing him from coming. Eventually, we agreed that we would first draft our proposals, then the Zhashkiv delegation would come to us, and we would jointly develop a scenario for our future cooperation.

The Shoulder to Shoulder: Cohesive Communities Project often focuses on the restoration of social infrastructure. What would you like to restore in the first place?

All educational institutions in our community have been damaged or destroyed. Before the full-scale war, there were nine of them, with 1,500 schoolchildren. Now the schools provide online education for only 800 students. All our clubs, pre-schools, libraries, and the building of the settlement council were destroyed. At the end of 2023, a Russian drone struck right at my office, and then Russian missiles were used to finalise the damage. Fortunately, the attack occurred in the evening, when no one was there.

 

Borova school number 2, set on fire by Russian missiles

 

The remains of school number 1 in the centre of Borova settlement, the central community facility

 

Borova settlement council, destroyed by Russian missiles. In the centre, a ruined section where Oleksandr Tertyshnyi’s office used to be

 

Could the Zhashkiv community allocate housing to the residents of Borova to bring them together, so to speak, under the same roof?

I think that the Zhashkiv community will have some opportunities for this, but I would not overestimate them. After all, Zhashkiv is a town with about 13,000 residents. They do not have enough available housing space for hundreds of people. Nor do our residents want to move far from home.

 

Vyshyvanka (ethnic embroidered clothes) Day in 2023 in the park of Borova

 

Celebrating Christmas in Borova on 24 December 2024

 

Right step by the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories

 

The Shoulder to Shoulder Project encompasses active outreach to local residents. How will they be engaged in the recovery and development processes?

This is still an open question, and is too early to answer, since everything will depend on how the front line shifts. Our future depends entirely on it. If the enemy could be pushed back at least a little further from us, we could think more confidently about the future.

Are you planning to sign Memoranda of Cooperation with other communities, both within the Shoulder to Shoulder Project and beyond?

We are discussing this very issue. I think we will be searching for several more partners in the near future. This way, it would be easier for them to help us, and we, in turn, could get a more diverse assistance.

Participation of the Borova community in the Shoulder to Shoulder Project was facilitated by the support of government agencies, in particular the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine. What is your evaluation of the role of these institutions in implementing the project for your community? What would you like to say to them?

Just one thing: we are very grateful! The Shoulder to Shoulder Project is of great importance to us. Right now, it is very difficult for us and for communities like ours. I hope that future cooperation will be fruitful. In Kyiv on 22 January, I listened very carefully to the government officials’ statements on this Project, in particular, those of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba, and I can say that I agree with every word they said. The Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories has taken the right step.