Currently the Russian occupying authorities have moved the center of the Velyka Lepetykha community to neighboring Rubanivka. Velyka Lepetykha, located on the bank of the Dnipro, has become a frontline zone — Russian forces actively use it to host personnel and equipment, so the occupation administration decided to relocate further from the line of fire.
Before the decentralization reform Rubanivka belonged to Velyka Lepetykha Raion, and later became the center of a separate territorial community. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion both settlements ended up under occupation and effectively began to operate as a single unit. Currently the Velyka Lepetykha settlement military administration is headed by the former deputy of the Rubanivka village head, Oleksandr Lozitsky.
MOST spoke with him about the first days of the full-scale war, the work of the relocated SVA and the challenges the community will face after deoccupation.
“By 9 a.m. on February 24 the first columns of military equipment passed through our community. They were our troops — they were retreating from Henichesk,” says Oleksandr Lozitsky.
The first Russian soldiers appeared in the villages of the Velyka Lepetykha and Rubanivka communities a few days later. Locals noted that they were somewhat disoriented, wandering the outskirts of the community, crossing fields, winter crops, and some villages on foot, but did not stop.
“As we understood, they were heading in the direction of Rohachyk; later we called colleagues from there and they told us that they were concentrating there, and then directed their forces toward Zaporizhzhia Oblast,” Mr. Oleksandr notes.
At that time the leadership of the communities faced the most important task — providing residents with food and medicines, supporting the operation of critical infrastructure and security.
On the first day of the full-scale invasion all educational institutions stopped working — only the settlement council and critically important enterprises remained operational. Panic could not be avoided — on the first day ATMs were emptied, store shelves were cleared, and pharmacies ran out of medicines. According to Oleksandr Lozitsky, the most acute problem was supplying medicines to insulin-dependent people, cancer patients and people with thyroid problems. Students who studied in Kherson’s educational institutions also remained blocked. Therefore, within a few days the community leadership decided to make a trip to Kherson.
“We were shocked by the number of checkpoints, the broken equipment on the roads — both ours and the Russian. Of course, there was a lot of panic. However, we still managed to evacuate children from Kherson, and also to establish work with the Karabelesh Hospital, which at that time was headed by Alla Malytska. We made trips once or twice a week, delivering food to the hospital — we managed to restore the groat mills (a kind of mills for producing groats — MOST), so there was an opportunity to share flour and grains and in return receive medicines that volunteers brought to the hospitals,” says Oleksandr Lozitsky.
Rubanivka and Velyka Lepetykha on the left bank of Kherson region are known for their bakeries, bread factories and groat mills. And in the first months of the full-scale invasion these settlements were saving almost the entire occupied Kherson region, which was left without bread. Local agricultural producers increased the volume of bread baking; three bakeries and a groat mill at STOV «Pivdenne» were operating. In the village of Demydivka, during the full-scale war, it was possible to restore the operation of a bakery that had been mothballed since Soviet times.
“While there were yeasts, we baked bread the traditional way. Then they became impossible to find, and our producers switched to the technology of yeast-free sourdoughs. Our local enterprises helped us a lot. They also provided flour to residents free of charge as humanitarian aid. Other communities came for our bread. That’s how we supported each other in difficult times,” recalls Oleksandr Lozitsky.
Local entrepreneurs also helped organize humanitarian aid points — the community tried to provide vulnerable groups with food, vegetables, flour, grains, and personal hygiene items.
At the time when the head of the Rubanivka TG left his home, there was neither an occupying authority nor even so-called law enforcement agencies — residents patrolled the streets at night on their own to prevent looting and to maintain security.
“I left when signals from neighboring communities about pressure began, and I understood it was only a matter of time. While already on territory controlled by Ukraine, we received information about attempts by the occupying authorities to coerce heads of communities and local government employees into cooperation. Some officials agreed under duress, and there were those who consciously supported the ‘russkiy mir’. Some did not submit and were taken captive. Some of my colleagues are still in captivity,” says Oleksandr Lozitsky.
Currently, for collaboration and treason they have been sentenced in absentia: the former deputy of the Velyka Lepetykha settlement head Vadym Saidulaev, the elder of the village Mala Lepetykha, who heads the occupation administration, Olga Baranovska and the director of the Velyka Lepetykha flagship lyceum Svitlana Nedbailo, who headed the educational institution opened by the occupiers in Rubanivka. A suspicion of collaboration has also been announced in absentia to the director of the KZ “Territorial Center of Social Services” Halyna Zinchenko.
Currently the Velyka Lepetykha settlement military administration is relocated and operates on territory controlled by Ukraine. Oleksandr Lozitsky headed it in September 2022. The work had to be rebuilt practically from scratch, because all property, transport, office equipment, documentation and archives remained in the occupation. Only three employees work at the SVA, who provide information, consulting and social support, assistance in processing documents, facilitation in obtaining humanitarian aid, etc.
It was possible to restore the work of the CNAP and the state registrar of property rights to real estate. The Velyka Lepetykha community is also one of the founders of the Kherson humanitarian center «Free Together» in the city of Khmelnytskyi, where residents of Kherson region can receive legal and medical consultations, psychological and humanitarian assistance, and employment assistance.
The main areas of work remain supporting internally displaced persons, evacuating people to territory controlled by Ukraine, providing them with social, legal and advisory assistance, as well as supporting military units and fighters from the community.
Despite constant interruptions in communications and power supply, the head of the SVA tries to maintain contact with the occupied community. Mr. Oleksandr notes — the community’s economic potential has suffered significant losses, and restoring full life will require considerable time and resources. The occupiers looted the Velyka Lepetykha elevator — all equipment was taken from there, Russian troops were based on the territory, buildings, warehouses and fuel storage tanks were damaged. The famed Rubanivka elevator — LLC «Grad K Agro» — was almost destroyed as a result of strikes.
However, the hardest thing that awaits the Velyka Lepetykha community after deoccupation, according to Oleksandr, will be the return of people.
“Of nearly 12,000 people, by our estimates roughly half have left these territories. And the process continues. Therefore, the most important thing after deoccupation will be to create conditions that will make people return home. Many fields in our agricultural region are mined, our shore is scarred with trenches. Fields and shelterbelts located near the shoreline will also require significant resources and time for demining,” notes Oleksandr Lozitsky.
Three settlements are suffering the most now — Mala Lepetykha, Velyka Lepetykha and Kozatska Sloboda (formerly Knyaze-Hryhorivka) — located along the shoreline of the former Kakhovka reservoir, practically on the frontline. Due to the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP and constant interruptions in power and communication, artesian wells have run dry. Some settlements have effectively been left without adequate drinking and technical water supply.
Therefore, Mr. Oleksandr urges his fellow locals who are still under occupation to leave risk zones if possible.
“First of all, I would urge residents of our occupied community to take care of themselves and, if possible, leave for territory controlled by Ukraine. If necessary and within available means we will help as much as we can. Those who cannot do this for various reasons, I ask to at least move away from the line of contact,” he concludes.