How Borodianka is being restored

Within the “Restoration” project, we cover the ways that war-scarred settlements in Ukraine are coming back to life. This article focuses on how Borodianka is being reconstructed. In particular, we will be highlighting the concept of village reconstruction developed by the Ukrainian company UVT Group, the challenges the Borodianka local authorities faced during reconstruction, the new inclusive administrative service center, and Borodianka Lyceum No. 1, restored and improved by Lithuania.

Borodianka is located 50 km north of Kyiv. It was severely damaged during Russia’s attempt to capture the capital and endured occupation for more than 30 days from the beginning of spring 2022. The Russians killed many civilians and caused extensive damage to the village, including its central street. It was in Borodianka where photojournalists captured wartime shots which later became legendary. For instance, the monument to Taras Shevchenko shot in the head or the ceramic rooster from the Vasylkiv majolica factory, which survived on a wall cabinet in the kitchen of an apartment building that was destroyed by shelling.

Now, Borodianka is gradually restoring and rebuilding what was destroyed, based on a people-centred approach to ensure that residents can live comfortably and develop their community.

The concept of the Borodianka restoration

Oleksiy Agafonov is a co-founder and architect at UVT Group, the company which developed the concept of restoring Borodianka after the Russian occupation. The Kyiv Regional State Administration and the Borodianka United Territorial Community commissioned this project. Currently, the concept is still being discussed at the community level, meaning that it has not yet been implemented.

UVT Group developed a preliminary design of the Borodianka central street, which was badly damaged during the Russian occupation. They introduced modern approaches to urban planning, including creating a barrier-free environment, ensuring that bomb shelters are available, and replacing surface parking with underground parking. Additionally, they developed façade passports to restore damaged historical buildings.

There are certain factors framing the reconstruction concept. For example, a residential building can be reconstructed only on the site of a destroyed one. However, Oleksiy emphasises that a people-centred approach was taken as the basis so that the reconstructed street would be comfortable for the citizens. In particular, that implies arranging bikeways, new supply systems and infrastructure facilities, and also parks.

— We are aware that, as architects, we design not just walls or windows. We design people’s living environment.

UVT Group has already worked on about 50 sites in the city centre (destroyed, damaged, or in need of modernisation). After they draw up a concept, third-party contractors begin reconstructing those sites. Among the company’s other projects, this one depends on state funds and is also psychologically challenging.

— It is emotionally challenging because, at these sites, you always see people who have lost everything. Nevertheless, everything else goes as usual for the construction sites.

Oleksiy’s company is also designing an art school in Borodianka, which will be named in honour of the photographer and documentary filmmaker Max Levin, who died during the full-scale war. Oleksiy knows well that it is essential to reconstruct not only the housing stock but also cultural institutions and the central square.

— We need people to return. Without these facilities, people will not return.

On the administrative service centre built from scratch and challenges during the restoration of Borodianka

Iryna Zakharchenko is the deputy of the local council and acting head of the village in Borodianka. More than 2,000 sites were destroyed here during the Russian occupation. According to her, out of the 26,000 people registered in the community (many live without registration), about 7,000 people have not yet returned home, and the homes of 5,000 residents have been destroyed and are now uninhabitable.

— Young people, especially those with children, have nowhere to return. As of now (February 2024. — ed.), we have just one school, the school No. 2. Children have to study in two shifts. Therefore, it is very tough.

In April 2023, Borodianka became one of the six settlements selected for implementing an experimental project. It provides searching for the most effective, transparent, and systemic approaches to the rapid restoration of severely affected cities, towns, and villages. Iryna notes that it was then that they started considering reconstruction fundamentally. After the de-occupation in the spring of 2022, they first tackled the critical areas: electricity, water and gas supply, and the Internet. After that, they took a long time to clear the debris, take out the burnt military vehicles, carry out stocktaking, etc.

— Since this was the most damaged community [in the Kyiv Polissia region], solely removing the debris took months.

The community submitted 109 sites for the experimental project, and 59 of them were selected. Some have already completed the documentation preparation stage, meaning land plots have been approved, a set of construction documents has been developed, a contract with a contractor has been signed, etc. However, there was a certain delay in the works due to the fact that the contractors were waiting for state investment. Not everyone could start with their own funds and then receive compensation.

Iryna shares about all reconstruction stages on her social media pages, allowing people to join discussions about the projects in the comments. Recently, a local youth parliament was established in Borodianka. Its members also participate in discussing the reconstruction projects, in particular, the art school. Iryna says that the children have many ideas, and they are especially excited about sports. This is not least due to the fact that many of them were evacuated abroad and learnred about the amount of opportunities there are for children in other countries. According to her, despite the current lack of facilities in Borodianka, children remain dedicated to their favorite activities and achieve top rankings t in various competitions.

— Although Borodianka is mainly in ruins, we still have a large number of activity clubs that continue to operate.

One of the sites planned to be reconstructed is the central square. The idea is to make a huge bomb shelter under it, which will also be a car park. This will provide protection to people living in the nearby houses since most of them only have basements, which are not very safe during enemy attacks.

According to Iryna, some projects cannot be implemented quickly. The reason is that even if it is possible to reconstruct the building, it is not yet the ultimate result since the water supply system must also be restored there. Another complicated and time-consuming process is general stocktaking. The challenge is that there is no suitable expert in the community, so the administration has to do that by themselves. Additionally, a significant challenge is that not everyone has returned home, making it difficult to inspect the apartments in the buildings that need to be restored.

— It was not possible to issue a detailed damage report for each apartment. Now, as people gradually return to Borodianka, some discover cracked walls, others find walls that have topples, and some discover that their boiler has defrosted. We are still adjusting the projects.

Iryna says that the community does not receive clarifications from the state, making paperwork difficult. However, they learn from their mistakes and have already successfully completed many stages of the project. They are waiting for the warmer season to begin to direct construction work.

— In April […], I am sure, we will start restoring 34 sites.

In order to attract the support of foreign partners, Iryna advises developing a set of construction documents and then applying for financial aid.

— There are very few Western companies that are willing to invest not only in constructing something but also in developing project design and budgeting. Typically, people work with ready-made projects. And when Borodianka faced that challenge, we did not have a single project document ready.

Despite all the obstacles, some sites have already been reconstructed. For example, in March 2023, in Borodianka, they opened an administrative service centre built from scratch. The Russian army completely destroyed the former building with a direct missile strike. The new administrative service centre has many improvements compared to the one that used to be there. In particular, it is barrier-free, meaning it has a lift and a bathroom for people with disabilities.

At first, services were provided at an information kiosk. In October 2022, they started constructing a new administrative service centre building and equipping it with the hardware within the framework of the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, with financial support from the European Union.

The new administrative service centre is the only one in the community. It offers 285 different services, a significant increase since February 2022. Many people come to the service centre to seek compensation for the destroyed housing. Additionally, internally displaced persons look for help there. Moreover, this facility serves not only the residents of Borodianka but also residents of the neighboring Nemishaieve community. According to Iryna, more than 100 people visit the centre daily.

— [Apart from that,] now people turn to us not just for a service, but for assistance, which we don’t formally record or accept applications for. For instance, someone might visit us with their smartphone and not know how to submit [an application] via Diia (an e-governance mobile app — tr.). Our administrators help them by filling in the message and the application form. They also help people obtain a bank card in any bank, for example, for the eRecovery program (state aid program for owners of housing that was damaged or destroyed due to hostilities — tr.) to ensure that the person has an account to receive aid.

Additionally, people can access certain services by contacting the authorities in their settlement since the elders have the authority to provide social services.

— Our goal is to ensure that services are provided with quality within the community so that individuals receive everything needed without having to go elsewhere.

How Lithuania helped reconstruct the Borodianka Lyceum No. 1

Tomas Matulevičius is a commercial manager and a representative of the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania. His role in Ukraine is to coordinate bilateral projects, cooperate with Ukrainian contractors and local authorities, and monitor the reconstruction of facilities undertaken by Lithuania.

Tomas knows several languages, including Ukrainian.

— I learned it naturally. I just asked my friends, partners, and employees to speak with me in Ukrainian.

Reconstructing the Lyceum is Lithuania’s third project in Borodianka since the full-scale invasion. The first was a mobile camp for displaced persons where 36 families now live. The second project concerns improving and equipping the kindergarten called “Pinocchio”. The work is still ongoing. Tomas says Lithuania took the initiative and offered to help with reconstruction in Borodianka, Irpin, and Bucha. The abundant media coverage of these settlements after the spring of 2022 played a crucial role in their decision to help. However, he claims that if any of the cities affected by the Russian invasion apply for aid, the Lithuanians are ready to consider their projects.

Lithuanians took up the school, which eventually became a Lyceum as they understood the impact the pandemic and then the full-scale war had on the education of Ukrainian children. Many do not have the opportunity to go to school when offline learning is crucial. Lithuanians are also aware that families will be more willing to return to communities with educational institutions.

— Education is one of the critical points to consider when thinking about the future.

The school suffered from Russian shelling with both missiles and tanks during the occupation of Borodianka. Windows were blasted out, classrooms were burned, and the roof was destroyed.

— I can still remember the graffiti painted by Russian soldiers on the wall. If I am not wrong, it said, “Russia is my mother” (in Russian — ed.). There are photos, and we will definitely show what it used to look like and what it has become.

The Lithuanians offered their help in the autumn of 2022. They started the work in February 2023 and plan to complete it in the spring of 2024.

— To be honest, when we first arrived, saw the extent of damage and roughly estimated the potential costs, we didn’t fully comprehend the entire scope of work.

Tomas means that at first, it was about repairing the roof and classrooms. However, upon further closer inspection of the damage they noticed cracks in the walls and other issues. This led to the idea of demolishing the building, creating a new project, and building it from scratch. Eventually, the parties agreed that extensive repairs would be sufficient. Nevertheless, Tomas believes that although building from scratch is more expensive, it would be the optimal solution.

— If you have an old house, it’s difficult to make it highly efficient and impressive. However, we took it as a lesson.

Lithuania initiated creating an innovation project to reconstruct Ukrainian schools. Based on that, the international community of architects, in cooperation with Ukraine, will develop a school reconstruction project that will be available for use by the communities whose schools were affected.

Yet, during the renovation of the Borodianka Lyceum, they managed to upgrade many features. They arranged a spacious atrium (a large space inside the building similar to a courtyard — ed.), which is to become a space for informal communication and film screenings. Classrooms were equipped with technology and smart boards. And finally, they improved energy efficiency thanks to a new boiler room.

One of the reconstruction key points is arranging a new bomb shelter in the inner courtyard of the school equipped with a generator, a lift, toilets, ventilation, and a water-filtering capacity. It was designed to host a thousand people. This capacity exceeds the needs of the Lyceum, therefore, people from the administrative service centre and other nearby facilities can also seek shelter there. Tomas emphasizes that there is a vital difference between an ordinary school basement and a shelter where children can not only hide during an air raid but also continue to study.

— We know that an air alert can last not only for an hour, but for two or even longer. What does this mean? This means that lessons that should have taken place during those two hours are simply cancelled and lost because students can’t study under such conditions. And the approach we stick to implies that if we are investing or engaging in something, then we have to do it in a better way than before.

Lithuania assisted not only with the reconstruction of the school but also with equipment: hardware, furniture, arranging the dining room, etc. In addition, children from Borodianka went to three camps in Lithuania, where they connected with peers and now remain in touch t. Teachers also traveled there and attended seminars on improving the educational process. Once the sports hall is reconstructed, they plan on inviting famous athletes to chat and play basketball with the children, as basketball is beloved by Lithuanians.

— Not just construction, not just walls.

Tomas says that Lithuania serves as a role model proving to other countries that it is not required to wait for the end of the war to undertake reconstruction. Starting now gives people hope and helps them to hold on in the time of horrors around them.

Tomas notes that the first Lithuanian delegations came to Ukraine in March 2022 and saw the scale of destruction and immediately decided to help Ukraine.

— It hurt us to see what was happening and the situation we all got into. Why does it hurt? Because, as a country, we have never forgotten what the Soviet Union did to us, and what they were seeking to accomplish. Banning the language and shutting down our churches and our schools were the means to transform the entire state and rewrite our history. We have never forgotten our brothers who died after World War II (Baltic partisans who waged an insurgency against the Soviet Union from 1944 to 1956; known as the “Forest Brothers” — tr.). We have not forgotten how our ancestors were deported to Siberia. And what happened in Ukraine in 2022 felt close to us. We knew we had to act together, it was now or never.