Over 35 years of independence, Ukraine has repeatedly changed its understanding of where decisions should be made and who is responsible for the development of its regions. One of the most significant changes was the transition from a centralized model of governance to decentralization, under which communities gained greater powers, resources, and responsibility. How has independence influenced the development of Ukrainian communities? Why is strong local self-government important for the state as a whole? And what enables communities to withstand the challenges they face today? We asked representatives of local government and communities.
From Independence to Self-Government
For Andriy Karaush, Head of the Rivne Regional Council, one of the key consequences of gaining independence was the opportunity for society to develop self-organization free from Soviet totalitarian control.
“Independence meant an escape for us from the Soviet prison of nations. After many years of that confinement, there was a great deal that was unclear. Going through all of this, we gradually realized how important self-organization was. Without Soviet totalitarian control, our people went from being passive to being active, and civil society began to develop. The decentralization reform was a direct consequence of increased civic engagement.”
In the view of Vladyslav Skalskyi, Deputy Mayor of Vinnytsia and a member of the Vinnytsia Regional Council, the restoration of Ukraine’s independence created the preconditions for decentralization. The reform changed the role of communities within the governance system.
“The restoration of Ukraine’s independence created a fundamental precondition for decentralization — a reform that transformed communities from executors of decisions made by the central government into full-fledged actors of development. They gained broader powers, financial resources, and the ability to determine their own priorities independently.”
According to Skalskyi, the importance of these changes is particularly evident at the local level, where the problems and needs of residents can be seen directly. “Government should be as close to people as possible, because it is at the local level that problems are most clearly visible and effective solutions can be found most quickly. Over 35 years of independence, Ukrainian communities have not forgotten the times when they had to go from ministry to ministry seeking permits and funding even for local development projects. Decentralization fundamentally changed this logic: communities gained greater responsibility and real tools for managing their own future.”
Self-Sufficiency Is About More Than Resources
For Valentyna Smachylo, Head of LDA Kharkiv, a community’s self-sufficiency during wartime is measured not only by its resources or its ability to independently address administrative and economic issues. It is also about people’s ability to remain engaged in community life and take responsibility for its future.
“Self-sufficiency and independence of communities are about Kharkiv and the communities of the Kharkiv region. It is the ability of a community not only to survive under these terrible challenges, but also not to stop and continue developing local democracy, making decisions, planning development, attracting resources from various sources, and looking for opportunities to secure support for communities.”
She emphasizes that, at the community level, independence is above all about the ability to set priorities and make decisions based on residents’ needs. “It is about people who live there and who have taken responsibility. It is also about such important things as the ability to determine their own future. It is about making decisions not under pressure, but with an understanding of the specific needs of residents and responsibility toward them.”
For frontline communities, this principle has a very practical meaning. “For Kharkiv’s communities, independence is something quite concrete. It is when you have electricity in your home after shelling, when there is a school that children can attend. It is about people who, unfortunately, have lost their homes but find support from different sides — from volunteers and from civil society. It is about young people who do not leave, who stay and think about how they can develop their community, or even young people who return despite everything.”
A Community’s Capacity Is Tested by Crises
The full-scale war has become a test for local self-government while also demonstrating the practical value of self-organization. Andriy Karaush says that cohesive communities respond to challenges more quickly, including by helping displaced people and the military. “If we are talking about resilience during the war, cohesive and self-organized communities respond to all challenges more quickly. We see this in examples of assistance to displaced people, as well as to our military.”
At the same time, he says, local democracy builds practical management experience that can be important beyond an individual community. “Obviously, local democracy builds management experience at the level of a village, settlement, or city. To a certain extent, it is a process of preparing responsible political leaders at the national level.”
Vladyslav Skalskyi also links the capacity of communities to the overall resilience of the state. “The full-scale war has ultimately demonstrated that capable communities are not merely a matter of local development, but one of the foundations of national resilience. A strong and truly independent state is built from strong, responsible, and self-sufficient communities.”
For the Kharkiv region, this resilience has an even more tangible dimension: communities continue to work, support their residents, and plan for the future despite the constant threat.
Over 35 years of independence, Ukrainian communities have moved from dependence on decisions made by the central government toward significantly greater responsibility for their own development. Decentralization gave them the tools to do so, but the war has shown that people’s ability to self-organize, participate in community life, and take responsibility for collective decisions is equally important.
It is at this level that independence ceases to be an abstract concept: it is reflected in a community’s ability to set its own priorities, support its residents, and respond to challenges. And the combined strength of such capable communities contributes to the resilience of the state as a whole.