The frontline community of Kushuhum in the Zaporizhzhia region lost the Kakhovka Sea, but thanks to the cooperation between the village council and the public organization Ecosense, it received a boost for green recovery.
The coat of arms of the Kushuhum community in Zaporizhzhia region features a sturgeon, the sea, and green steppes, but the war destroyed the once strategic economic sectors of this community. Before the war, more than 18,000 people lived in this suburban community. Since February 2022, the community has lost its sustainable development due to the destruction of part of its social and engineering infrastructure, economic and logistical ties. The depletion of the Kakhovka Reservoir and the drying up of local rivers have created new long-term sustainability challenges for the community: a shortage of drinking water and technical water for irrigation, and the loss of the traditional agro-industrial and fisheries sectors of the local economy.
“In order to preserve the community and give people hope for the future, in 2024 the Kushuhum Village Council made a crucial decision to develop a Strategy for Community Development and Recovery. We realized that only a comprehensive approach that takes into account security challenges, economic changes, and people’s needs can keep residents in the community and give them a foothold,” recalls Vladislav Vasylaga, deputy head of the Kushuhum Village Council.
The public organization Ecosense from Zaporizhzhia, with which ties had already been established and a memorandum of cooperation signed, came to the rescue. Together, they prepared an application for support from the International Renaissance Foundation to create a community development strategy that takes into account new security conditions and challenges, and began work. Ecosense brought in experts to prepare recommendations for the updated strategy on environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and economic diversification.
The development of local renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and bioenergy, directly contributes to achieving European climate goals of increasing the share of clean energy and diversifying energy sources. Planning the energy policy of a local community is an essential component of strategic development at the local level, particularly in the context of the European Green Deal and climate goals for 2030,” explains Tetiana Zhavzharova, head of the NGO Ecosense and an expert on community adaptation to climate change. “However, for Ukraine, which faces constant attacks on its centralized energy infrastructure, the development of local renewable energy sources is becoming critically important, going beyond the scope of climate policy alone.”
Experience and inspiration
At the invitation of the NGO Ecosense, Oleksandr Karpenko, an energy manager and expert in renewable energy development since 2011, became a mentor to the Kushuhum community on energy independence and the development of renewable energy sources. A former resident of Zaporizhia, Oleksandr moved to Chortkiv with his family in 2022 and headed the Local Economic Development Agency of the Chortkiv City Council, where he was highly successful in raising funds for the installation of solar power stations for public sector facilities.
Chortkiv was the first of Ukraine’s small towns to join Energy Cities, the European Union’s association of local authorities in the field of energy, in 2023. In the same year, the community saw the emergence of the first municipal solar power plant in the Ternopil region to meet the energy needs of the city hospital. The Chortkiv community is implementing Ukraine’s largest municipal solar power plant construction project, “Sunny Chortkiv.” This is a comprehensive project to introduce solar energy to the Chortkiv community in the form of more than 15 ground-mounted and rooftop solar power plants with electricity storage systems.
That is why 10 representatives of the Kushuhum, Zaporizhzhia, and Chernihiv communities in the Zaporizhzhia region went to Chortkiv for an internship.
“Learning about practical solutions, such as the use of solar panels, lithium-ion batteries, and inverters, gave me a deeper understanding of how the introduction of renewable energy sources can positively impact communities. This experience inspired me to implement similar projects in our community,” says Vladislav Vasylaga.
“We hope that after de-occupation, we will use the experience and advice of the Chortkiv TG regarding the installation of SES on communal property,” said Serhiy Zhytairuk, deputy head of the occupied Chernihiv community in the Zaporizhzhia region. “This will enable us to reduce our consumption of traditional electricity and save the local budget.”
Oleksandr Karpenko also helped establish cooperation between the Kushuhum village council and the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory. American and Ukrainian experts developed technical and economic justifications for solar power plant projects for two educational institutions, a medical center, as well as the premises of the village council and the Administrative Services Center of the Kushuhum community.
However, the community did not wait for donors to come to them, but acted proactively.
Promise less – do more
The mentor of the project “Green Strategy for the Restoration and Development of the Kushuhum Community” advised Vladislav Vasylaga, deputy head of the village council, not to put things off until later, but to get started right away: he prepared estimates for the necessary photovoltaic panels and sent letters to potential partners for support. So, in the spring, the first batch of 500 solar panels arrived in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Thanks to the partnership with the NGO Ecosense, the support of the NGO Future of Ukrainian Donbas, IT Kamyanets, the Kamyanets-Podilskyi City Council, and JSC Khmelnytskoenergo, the Kushuhum community managed to obtain two batches of solar panels with a total capacity of 230 kW.
“This is not the result of a single day: we prepared all the necessary documents, responded to the opportunity in a timely manner, offered a clear vision for the use of this equipment, and received support,” Vladislav Vasylaga shares his experience.
Now there are plans to install the panels on schools, the Administrative Services Center, and critical infrastructure facilities, which should be the first to be provided with backup power in the event of power outages. Work is currently underway to find the inverters needed to convert the direct current generated by the panels.
Війна носить корективи
The war brings changes
Since April 2025, the villages of Malokaterynivka, Kushuhum, and Balabine have been shelled almost daily. “The extraordinary conditions of war are a challenge for long-term community development planning. During the approval stage of the Kushuhum Community Development Strategy in March 2025, we were faced with the need to change the community development scenarios,” recalls Maxim Soroka, head of the working group and environmental safety expert. “Through the joint efforts of the community, the village council, and the expert group, we were able to formulate a simple and realistic strategic development plan for the community that takes into account both the priorities of green recovery and the risks and threats of wartime and post-war reconstruction. In my opinion, the developed Strategy for the Development of the Kushuhum Community is a good example of planning in emergency conditions and can serve as a model for other small communities in Ukraine.”
The number one priority was people’s safety, namely: the construction and equipping of the simplest shelters in public places so that every resident has access to a shelter, the installation of protective structures, nets, and electronic warfare systems at socially significant and critical infrastructure facilities, the creation of a Community Safety Center, and the development of a warning system. In order to retain and keep people, the community planned to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of medical care for all residents and implement comprehensive social protection programs.
Sustainability is about partnership
Although the project between the Kushuhum Village Council and the NGO Ecosense ended in spring 2025, its results have proven to be long-lasting, emphasizes Vladislav Vasylaga.
The deputy village head, Vladislav Vasylaga, did not put off the mentor’s advice until later, but immediately put it into practice: he prepared estimates for the necessary photovoltaic panels and sent letters to potential partners for support.
“Thanks to our cooperation with the public organization Ecosense, supported by the International Renaissance Foundation, we received not only assistance in developing a feasibility study and community development strategy. The most important result was the establishment of sustainable partnerships. This is not just about energy. It is about sustainability, security, and hope for tomorrow. Solar panels are a resource that will remain with us for years to come. This is proof that a community that plans, acts, and unites with partners is capable of achieving a lot, even in extremely difficult conditions,” summarized the deputy head of the Kushuhum community.
Now there are plans to install panels on schools, administrative service centers, and critical infrastructure facilities, which should be the first to be provided with backup power in the event of power outages.
The village council and the public organization Ecosense are working together to find the inverters needed to convert the direct current generated by the panels as part of the Impulse project.
The village council is actively engaging public organizations, charitable foundations, and donor structures to provide assistance to the community, primarily for the restoration of destroyed housing and infrastructure. At the same time, environmental and energy sustainability with an emphasis on restoration remains a priority for the Kushuhum community.
“In times of war, challenges teach us to plan ahead. Power outages, water shortages, and unstable communications are a daily reality. Therefore, solidarity becomes critically important—not formal, but genuine, based on horizontal connections. This is when communities reach out to help each other, experts provide professional advice, civil society organizations advise on projects, and donors keep things afloat. Despite the uncertainty, we must anticipate the consequences and prepare for them, says Tetiana Zhavzharova. After all, anticipation in conditions of uncertainty is a responsibility. And it is not our comfort that depends on how strong our ties are, but our collective ability to survive.
This material was prepared by the NGO Ecosense as part of the Impulse project, which is being implemented by the International Renaissance Foundation and the Eastern Europe Foundation with funding from Norway (Norad) and Sweden (Sida). The content of the material does not necessarily reflect the position of the International Renaissance Foundation, the Eastern Europe Foundation, the Government of Norway, or the Government of Sweden.
Photo: EcoSense NGO, Kushuhum Village Council
