Resilient women of Mykolaiv region rebuild village after occupation

In de-occupied Novopetrivka, Mykolaiv region, local women decided to rebuild their village on their own after the destruction caused by the occupation by Russian troops in 2022.

As Suspilne. Mykolaiv, the residents of Novopetrivka received a grant of 495 thousand hryvnias and are already actively repairing the library, creating a first aid station, and restoring the only source of water - a well.

Photo: Screenshot from the video

Local resident Yelyzaveta says that the well was extremely important for the village, even during the occupation. "Everyone threatened to break it, but thank God no one did anything. It serves us as our strength, the village of Novopetrivka," she says. Now the women plaster the well themselves, install a sign and take care of it.

Previously, there was a reservoir near the village that was filled by canals, but they remain mined and broken. In addition to restoring the well, the women are repairing the village library, which was damaged during the occupation. Russian soldiers were based in the building and used Ukrainian books as fuel for their fires. One of the few surviving books, "Glorious Hetmans of Ukraine," became a symbol of the village's revival.

Now the library is being renovated: the walls are being putty, the ceiling is being renovated, and one of the walls is to be decorated with a large painting of a peacock among flowers. Computers, printers and equipment for the future cinema have already been brought in. The library will also open a resilience center called Novopetrivske Woman, which will be a place for women to gather, socialize, and support each other.

There is almost no male labor force in the village: most men serve in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, some are in captivity, like Yelyzaveta's husband. "It's morally hard, but it's better to direct your energy to rebuilding the village. When you do something and succeed, you get an unrealistic positive feeling," she says.

Local women are confident that together they will be able to rebuild Novopetrivka, make it comfortable to live in and set an example of resilience for the whole of Ukraine.

In October, Ukraine returned 95 soldiers from Russian captivity, some of whom had been illegally convicted in Russia. This was the 58th prisoner exchange since the beginning of the invasion.

At least 177 Ukrainian prisoners have died in Russian captivity since the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Андрій Колісніченко