The Markivska community has become an example of the unity and indomitable spirit of Ukrainians.

Even though its territory was occupied on the first day of the active phase of hostilities (36 km of the common border with the Russian Federation), Markivka residents believe in victory and do not lose hope for the restoration of Ukrainian statehood on their land.

Markivska community until February 24, 2022. 

• 34 settlements
• The total area of 1166 square kilometers
• 13738 people
• More than 30 enterprises and farms

Current situation.

Currently, the territory of the Markivska community is located in the depths of the occupied territories - about 200 km from the occupation line. Over the 1.5 years of war, more than 4000 people have moved to the government-controlled territory.

Thanks to the persistence and active position of the leadership of the Markivka settlement military administration, the Coordination Center for Humanitarian Assistance to IDPs from Luhansk Oblast was successfully organized, which unites residents of Markivka and other settlements in Luhansk Oblast (the IDPs' HUB) that were occupied by the Russian invaders. This HUB has become a community center where Markivka residents receive support, hope, and opportunities to rebuild their lives with dignity.

According to Oleksandr Cherevatyi, head of the Markivka settlement military administration: "Currently, 320 residents of the Markivska community live in Kyiv region, of which 120-150 people regularly apply to the Coordination Center. In general, there are 6 HUBs in the region that provide assistance to IDPs from the Markivska community and other settlements of the Luhansk region under occupation. In cooperation with such initiatives and organizations as Vostok SOS Charitable Foundation, Social Synergy, and Right to Protection, we support our fellow countrymen with food, warm clothes, and household items. We pay special attention to large families."

However, humanitarian aid is only one aspect of the Markivska settlement military administration's work.

How to integrate people from the occupied territories into normal life was the topic of the meeting of the Center's staff with representatives of Ukraine's Renovation League  

Preserving the self-identity and authenticity of the communities currently under occupation; developing a mechanism for fixing these territories with the help of ONOVA GIS HUB; finding resources to build a full-fledged infrastructure for the occupied communities in a new place are the issues that the ONOVA League team is working on now.

"For me, as a citizen of Ukraine, and for our entire team, it is a challenge to provide assistance to the communities that have become victims of the occupation. In this difficult time, it is necessary to start forming a civilian reserve and infrastructure base for the future return of our territories. Therefore, I believe that preserving the self-identity and authenticity of the communities under occupation is an extremely important task for our country.

We must support the efforts of people who are forced to leave their homes to build a decent life. The Markivska community is a good example of the process of uniting IDPs around the leaders of their communities.

Together with the leadership of Markivska settlement military administration, we plan to work on recording the destroyed property of Markivka residents to preserve information about the condition of the facilities and enable people to restore their property rights in the future. We are trying to set a precedent for the first survey of such documentation. This is an important step aimed at creating conditions for the future development of this community and other communities after liberation from the occupation." - expressed his opinion Yegor Stefanovych, Chairman of the Board of the PU UFEES, Chief Coordinator of the ONOVA League.