Why Oksana Suprun, Head of the Savyntsi Military Administration in the Kharkiv region, decided to become a professional psychologist

By Dmytro Syniak

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The Savyntsi community, located in the Kharkiv region, comprises six settlements and twelve villages, spanning an area of 425 square kilometres. However, prior to the full-scale invasion, the population was just 10,000 people. Most of these people survived the Russian occupation in 2022, during which 24 local residents were killed, 28 were wounded, 29 were tortured in Russian prisons and four were abducted and have not yet been returned. Then, in 2022, almost the entire territory of the community became part of the battlefield for Izium, only 25 km away. The front is now slowly advancing on the community again from the east, in the direction of Kreminna. However, Savyntsi is completely different from what it was three and a half years ago. Today, it is one of the strongest Ukrainian defence outposts. Oksana Suprun, head of the Savyntsi military administration, is convinced that her community will not only survive, but also emerge stronger than ever. That is why she is now not only overseeing the construction of defensive fortifications and bomb shelters, but also preparing a strategic development plan for when the hostilities end. Even now, amidst the sound of cannon fire, she is planning entirely peaceful projects, such as launching library buses to increase literacy levels among local people.

 

Oksana Suprun, Head of the Savyntsi Military Administration in the Kharkiv region, celebrating Ukraine's Constitution Day. She is holding a copy of the first page of the 1996 Constitution bearing the signatures of MPs

 

 Savvyntsi as seen from above

 

Negative trends that need to be reversed

 

What are the main activities of the military administration of a community located less than 50 kilometres from Russian positions?

Mainly restoring what the enemy destroys. This applies not only to buildings, but also to documents. Some of the 'fixes' date back to 2020, when ownership rights were not re-registered when old districts were transferred to new ones. Now, when we assess the damage to houses caused by Russian drones, shells and missiles, we often find that the documentation is either outdated or non-existent. We are preparing this documentation, which is probably our biggest challenge. The next big challenge is rebuilding the infrastructure…

How timely is this? After all, the front line is quite close.

Are there any other ways to bring people back home? Who would want to move to a deserted area littered with construction debris? However, if we modernise and revitalise the community, people will return. All our restoration efforts are precisely aimed at this. Besides, we are not planning to bring people back now, but once the hostilities have ended. As soon as the shooting stops, we will try to alter the community's demographics. The most important thing we are doing to achieve this is rebuilding housing. The second is to create the safest possible conditions. As for the front line... It has remained virtually unchanged for a long time.

How many residents has the community lost since the full-scale invasion began?

When the community was liberated in September 2022, fewer than 2,400 of its 10,000 residents remained. However, that number has now increased to 5,860. We know this exact number because each person is important to us. The rest are scattered throughout Ukraine and abroad. In fact, we regularly conduct surveys among those who have left, asking if they are willing to return and what they need to do so. Most indicate that the main obstacle is the security situation. Otherwise, people are ready to return. However, sadly, this desire is diminishing with each passing month. When we conducted our first surveys in February 2023, only five per cent said they would never return. Now, that number has risen to 27 per cent. This is a very discouraging trend. Another is that half of our current population is over 60. If we fail to change this, what will the future hold for us?

But your schools are open, which means there are children in the community!

Of the 605 students at Savyntsi Lyceum, our only educational institution, around 400 live in the community. We had to close four educational institutions: three were completely destroyed, whereas the fourth one lacked students and it was impossible to build a bomb shelter there.

 

 

UAH 25 million for destroyed housing

 

How many houses in your community have been damaged as a result of the Russian invasion?

Our Register of Damaged and Destroyed Property currently lists 730 households. These are the households for which documents were available to apply for the eRestoration (eVidnovlennia) programme. Of these, 369 have applied for the programme, and payments have already been approved for 288 of them. This amounts to over UAH 25 million. The owners of 53 households have been refused. This is usually because, while waiting for payment, their house has been further damaged or even completely destroyed. These individuals should apply for Cabinet of Ministers’ Resolution No. 600 on destroyed property, rather than the eRestoration programme. Sometimes applications are rejected because the deadline for submitting the relevant documents has expired. Sometimes people simply die without receiving their payments. Such is life…

Do you collaborate with different charities to restore housing?

We do, for example, CF Angels of Salvation repaired 130 houses for us, and New Way repaired 27. Unfortunately, however, the indirect costs of labour and materials specified in Cabinet of Ministers’ Resolution No. 381 in February 2023 no longer reflect market prices. This means that we are unable to recoup our actual expenses, and people are unable to compensate for the real cost of what they have lost. Often, the allocated funds are sufficient for materials, but not labour. As a result, one charity or another fills the gap at its own expense, using its own specialists. In general, the owners of 581 households have already received building materials for so-called ‘minor repairs’. But it was often volunteers from charitable organisations who helped them carry out these repairs.

Did most of the destruction in your community occur while the Russians were in Izium in 2022? Do attacks on your community still occur now?

They occur from time to time. For example, on 18 June, a downed drone fell in the village of Vyshneva. Twenty-two houses were damaged... We are documenting the damage so that people can receive compensation or building materials. However, you are right that we are not currently experiencing the same level of destruction as during the Slobozhanskyi counteroffensive.

 

 

Minefields honey

 

In a previous interview, you said that only 10 per cent of your community’s territory had been cleared of landmines. Is this figure still accurate? How do farmers work under these conditions?

No, probably more than 50 per cent of the territory has already been demined or inspected for explosive devices. Around 30 per cent of our land – 9,620 hectares – belongs to the state-owned V. Yuriev Institute of Plant Growing enterprise. The State Property Fund seized this land and subsequently transferred it to the State Land Bank of Ukraine, which has now put it up for auction. As the institute did not apply to participate in the demining project, all of its land is considered potentially contaminated. The remaining 20 per cent of our land is forest. As the occupying forces were mainly stationed in forests, the area is still considered potentially contaminated. However, cleaning up the forests is not a priority right now... In fact, many of our farmers paid for the clearance of their own fields themselves, so they could resume work as soon as possible. Sometimes they also burned the grass on mine-contaminated fields themselves because the stubble was so thick that mine clearance operators could not proceed. Only 58 hectares of our own agricultural land remain uncleared. But we use them too.

What do you mean? How can minefields be used?

To draw the world's attention to mined areas, we have launched an unusual project. While people cannot work in fields containing mines and unexploded ordnance, bees can. So, we joined forces with five beekeepers who placed hives around the perimeter of mined areas. The result is our new brand: ‘Minefields honey’. The beekeepers always donate some honey to us. We pack it into jars, add the producers' contact details to the labels, and send the jars to our partners in the United States, Croatia, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and Ukraine. Thanks to these unique gifts, we often find it much easier to communicate with our partners. This honey has the ability to convey something that cannot be expressed in words.

As many of the mines in your community were laid by the Ukrainian army, was it not easier to defuse them using minefield maps?

Unfortunately not, because these maps were often fake and untrue – planted on us by the Russians. Sometimes the Russians would mine certain areas remotely and the mines would scatter uncontrollably – no one knew where. Also, minefield maps only mark mines; they make no mention of unexploded shells, rockets or drones that have lost control… I must also admit that professional demining does not guarantee the complete clearance of an area. For instance, there have been several cases of cars exploding on roads that had been thoroughly inspected by demining operators. It transpired that the occupiers had buried anti-tank mines deep in the sandy soil and covered them with sheets of foam plastic. This foam plastic seemed to isolate the mines from the equipment and tools used by the deminers. However, over time it disintegrated and, at some point, the mine exploded.

Would it be fair to say that, despite the challenging situations of demining and proximity to the front line, local business is gradually reviving?

Indeed. At least all of our agricultural processing enterprises are operational again. For example, both of our elevators. They are not operating at full capacity, but they are working. They are not being loaded due to hostilities. While grain was previously brought to them from all the surrounding areas, part of these areas are now crossed by the front line. The reduced workload is clearly visible in the number of staff. Before the full-scale war, for example, the State Grain Corporation’s elevator had 125 employees. Now there are only 37. At the same time, everyone is working, with only one enterprise not operating. This enterprise grew mushrooms at two locations: in the village of Vasishcheve near Kharkiv and in the village of Morozivka. The occupiers looted the entire enterprise and destroyed the complex, expensive air conditioning and irrigation systems. As the owners did not have the money to restore it themselves, they left the country. We are in touch with them and they are willing to return and resume work if an international organisation assists with the restoration. We are therefore looking for such an organisation.

Has your community’s budget returned to the level it was before the full-scale invasion?

We managed to increase our own revenues by revising tax rates and registering individual entrepreneurs with us. Previously, many of them were registered elsewhere despite working here. What did our budget look like during the full-scale invasion? In 2021, our own revenues were UAH 22 million, in 2022 they were UAH 11 million, and last year they were already UAH 32 million. This figure takes into account the land tax exemption. In total, including transfers for this year, we have UAH 162 million. Not bad for a population of 10,000, half of whom are currently absent. However, to become a real stronghold of defence, the community must first and foremost become financially powerful.

 

Hives on the edge of a minefield look like this

 Oksana Suprun with beekeeper Viacheslav Melnyk at the presentation of ‘Minefields honey’

The building of the outpatient clinic in the village of Savyntsi, which was damaged in 2022 and restored in May 2023

The building of the Centre for Administrative and Social Services, completely renovated with funds from the European Investment Bank and co-financed by the local budget.

 The administrative building of the Savyntsi settlement council looks pretty good after the renovation

 

Shoulder-to-shoulder with partners

 

Let us talk about how communities can be transformed into outposts. This is the main idea behind the ‘Shoulder-to-Shoulder: Cohesive Communities’ project. Are you taking part in it?

This project is perhaps the most significant achievement in both my professional life and that of our community. It is also one of the most successful initiatives of the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories. I will not even mention the rehabilitation of children (although this requires significant funds!), nor will I mention institutional support (even without human resources, I can now always find partners, architects, land managers, and lawyers). Compared to everything else, these are minor details. We already have eleven (!) memoranda of cooperation with various communities, the most recent of which was solemnly signed on Independence Day in Pidberiztsi village in the Lviv region. It is impossible to quantify the support our partners have provided in the ‘Shoulder-to-Shoulder’ project! Thanks to the Novoiavoriv community in the Lviv region, for example, all the damaged windows in our lyceum have been replaced. We have just received a grant from the Boiarka community in the Kyiv region to replace the windows and doors at the Vyshneva House of Culture. The Smila community in the Cherkasy region is currently helping us to replace the damaged windows, doors and roof of the Morozivka House of Culture. Next in line is the thermal modernisation of our kindergarten, to which our partners will contribute. We are currently organising this process. We discuss our actions, trips, visits by partners to us or our specialists to them, and so on, in a joint chat on a daily basis.

Your community’s website says that you held a working meeting with UNDP representatives. What did you discuss?

We hold regular working meetings and have 42 sustainable partnerships with various organisations. We work permanently with large institutions such as the UNDP, the IOM and ACTED, and therefore always have various ongoing projects that we implement together. In particular, we have already installed fire hydrants, equipped a police room and a room for State Emergency Service employees, set up a sports ground and created a safety town in collaboration with UNDP. (This project provides a safe space where children and adults can learn about traffic, mine and water safety). We have now planned to create a mobile suitcase for our Administrative Services Centre. In essence, it is a compact workspace that enables administrators to provide comprehensive services to citizens in the field. The next step in our collaboration with UNDP is to purchase equipment for issuing passports. Meanwhile, we are discussing with our UNDP partners the possibility of expanding our veterans' space and organising various courses for veterans.

What projects are you implementing with other partners?

Recently, in order to strengthen the social fabric of our community, we opened a Resilience Centre. There, people can access free psychological support, receive advice on various social issues and find new opportunities to set up their own volunteering initiatives. In collaboration with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), we are currently installing solar panels on our water wells. This will enable them to operate independently of power outages. Accessing water in our area is challenging, as the wells are 820 metres deep, so this project is very important to us.

 

Solar panels powering the building of a paramedic and midwifery station, which also houses the starosta’s office in Zalyman. The project implemented with the help of the charity organisation Acted

 Mesh containers for separate waste collection in Dovhalivka village, installed on the initiative of residents with funding from the charity organisation Acted

Vehicles delivered to the Savyntsi community as part of international technical assistance from the U-LEAD project. One of them was handed over to the Social Services Centre

When the artesian wells in the Vyshneva village broke down, the Savyntsi community’s international partners promptly sent water containers

Signing of memoranda with second wave partners at the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories

Generators donated to family with many children by German partners

 

On the staffing problem and collaborators with the enemy

 

From the outset, staffing shortages have been a major problem for small communities such as yours. How acute is this issue now that your population has almost halved?

The problem is quite acute, but we are finding a way out of it. As I mentioned, our partners in the ‘Shoulder-to-Shoulder’ project provide institutional support. They help us with paperwork and consultancy, and they can even come and work on site. Despite this, some residents accuse us of ‘wasting the budget’. They claim that there are too many employees working for the settlement council. But this is not the case at all. There are only three of us in the military administration: me, my deputy, and the chief accountant. And only 42 people work in the settlement council, ensuring results in all areas. The maximum number of employees in one department is four: this is the number of people working in the administrative services centre, including the head of the ASC, plus four more employees who have remote workplaces in each of our starosta district offices. The education, finance and social protection departments each have three employees, while the child welfare service, land registry and municipal property departments each have two. I do not know where else to make cuts. At the same time, 18 of our 42 employees live in the neighbouring Balakliia community. In other words, we simply do not have such specialists. Relatively few of our residents have higher education qualifications because those who obtained them usually stayed in big cities and did not return. There were simply no jobs for them here. Now there are jobs, but there are no people. We would gladly hire an architect, a lawyer or a psychologist, but there are no such specialists among our residents.

What is your proposed solution to this problem?

My perspective is as follows: I personally enrolled in the correspondence department at Kharkiv Pedagogical University this year to obtain a degree in psychology. I understand that the military administration will not always be in charge here, and that psychologists are currently in high demand: they are needed in educational institutions, veterans’ spaces and healthcare facilities. So, I am going to become a psychologist. Someone else needs to be sent to study at the law and architecture faculties.

Do displaced persons help solve the staffing problem?

Partially. Olha Tochena, for example, moved here from the Donetsk region and now works in the settlement council. She is the chief specialist in the social protection department and also chairs the IDP council. Another displaced person who has made an extraordinary impact on our community is Kateryna Radchenko, an artist from Bakhmut. She taught art at the Bakhmut Professional Agricultural Lyceum. When Ms Radchenko moved here in the summer of 2023, she was 72 years old. Despite her advanced age, however, she worked tirelessly to transform our previously unremarkable bus stops. She said she wanted to leave her mark on ‘this hospitable community’. The bus stops she painted are now a source of pride for us and constantly amaze our guests. (Unfortunately, Ms Kateryna later moved to Ivano-Frankivsk). We have registered a total of 1,115 displaced persons, but there are only about 250 in reality. As you can imagine, it is not very safe here. Mostly, only those who cannot go further remain, such as elderly people and socially vulnerable individuals.

You once told journalists the story of Kateryna Donnyk, the Gauleiter of your village during the Russian occupation, who remained in the community after the Ukrainian authorities returned. What happened to her?

She was sentenced to five years in prison and is currently serving her sentence in a penal colony in another region. The head of the Balakliia community's culture department, who I reported personally, received the same sentence. This hurt me because I came from this field – culture was my area of responsibility from 2016 to 2019. During this woman’s tenure, the local history museum and all Ukrainian symbols were destroyed during the occupation. She also openly held events to celebrate Russian Flag Day and similar occasions. Unfortunately, however, both of these cases are exceptions to the rule. The overall situation with collaborators is very disappointing. Judicial practice needs to change.

What do you mean? Could you give some specific examples?

Yes, and not just one! Let me give you the most striking example. We have a citizen who used to work as a paramedic at the Vesele outpatient clinic. During the occupation, she behaved extremely improperly by actively cooperating with the occupying authorities. For instance, she rode on Russian armoured personnel carriers and fired an automatic weapon at windows, house walls and fences... Fortunately, no one was hurt. However, her antipathy towards everything Ukrainian and her sympathy for everything Russian were obvious. Several reports were filed against her, resulting in her detention for almost six months in a pre-trial detention centre. Then the trial began, which our residents attended and gave evidence at. As a result, the court handed down the following sentence: ‘For five years, she is prohibited from holding any position in the public sector.’ There was no confiscation of property or imprisonment. She was simply released. Now, she is returning to the village and openly threatening those who testified against her. Is this normal? People are already saying that they will no longer go to court to testify, no matter who it concerns. They say, ‘We don’t want our houses to be burned down.’

 

Bus stops with murals by Kateryna Radchenko in Savyntsi

 

The future of the Savyntsi community

 

You are currently developing key strategic documents for the community. Is this sensible, given that the situation can change rapidly for better or worse, and these changes are impossible to predict?

Indeed, the situation can change rapidly, but life goes on and does not stand still. How can we rebuild the community without a strategic development plan? We need at least a rough idea of what we need and where it should be located. A strategic plan involves more than just the construction of certain facilities in certain places; it also requires justification for this construction. In other words, we analyse factors such as the birth rate, demographic situation, financial situation and budgetary possibilities, as well as opportunities for attracting funds. Only then can we create a strategic plan, which, in our case, should act as a roadmap for recovery. Furthermore, we need to understand where we are going next strategically, taking into account current military actions, destroyed facilities and the changing composition of the population. Ultimately, according to the law, our strategic documents must comply with regional and national strategies. There is another point: when we go to our international partners for funding, they often ask us, ‘Do you have a strategy? Does it provide for the restoration of this particular facility? Do you need this facility in order to achieve your strategic goals?’

What else does your strategy include besides rebuilding houses?

Restoring economic potential and rebuilding democracy in the community. Unfortunately, several instruments of democracy, such as executive committees and meetings of deputy corps, have been lost under the current military administration. People are starting to think that when someone makes a decision alone, they are acting in their own interests rather than those of the community. That is why I emphasise everywhere that almost every decision I make is preceded by meetings of working groups, the veterans’ council and the internally displaced persons’ council. I never act alone, but always with the community! Unfortunately, we currently have no public council as we could not reach an agreement with its previous members. Moreover, some members have left for the Russian Federation, while others have grown old and now claim that they are not willing to participate in ‘tours, surveys, or similar activities’ anymore. Consequently, there is no public council, but there is a youth council and a working group on public safety and social cohesion. This group has now become one of our most important consultative and advisory bodies.

What is your vision for the future of your community?

It must be capable and self-sufficient. I am against amalgamation with larger communities. At one point, the idea of merging small, incapable communities with others was discussed, and according to the new methodology for calculating capacity, it was proposed that the Savyntsi community be merged with the Balakliia community. In my opinion, this is not a good idea. We need to restore democratic instruments and fill our council with high-quality members. (To this end, we are already trying to train people who will be able to run for council and do the necessary work in the future)... We need to restore social infrastructure, but according to new standards. In other words, things should not be as they used to be, when people shouted, 'No school means no village!' We must also help agricultural producers organise their work. In turn, they must feel socially responsible towards the local residents and actively participate in developing the areas where they farm. I envisage a community with new cultural institutions that operate differently to how they did before, when librarians only issued and accepted books once a week. Libraries should form part of cultural service centres. To increase reading ability in remote villages, mobile bookshops – book buses – will travel to them. We are currently launching several such routes. If the community is prosperous, developed and attractive, young people will return to it after their studies to create families and have children. That is how we will secure our future.

 

 Meeting with representatives of the Novoiavorivsk community as part of the ‘Core of Change’ project

Opening of a security town on the premises of a preschool educational institution in the village of Savyntsi as part of the ‘Safety from the First Step’ project

With the flag of the Savyntsi community in the US Congress during a trip overseas in May 2025, as part of the Open World programme. Heads of Ukrainian communities discussed issues of support for Ukraine with American congressmen and learned about veteran policy in the US