Today, Ukrainian communities play a key role in ensuring the state's resilience during the war. Following the decentralisation reform, they have evolved from administrative units into integral elements of national security. This was stated by Oleksandr Kodola, Mayor of Nizhyn, at the 18th annual Kyiv Security Forum “Darkness or Dawn: Is Light Ahead?”

“Today, a community is not just a social or economic unit – it is an element of national security. In the early days of the invasion, we had no time to wait for decisions from above and acted swiftly. At the local level, we ensured security, water, heating, logistics, and, essentially, the defence of our own territories,” Kodola noted.

He emphasised that this capacity for rapid decision-making was made possible by decentralisation.

The Mayor added that for border regions, particularly the Chernihiv region that borders Russia and Belarus, the role of local self-government has become critical.

Kodola also outlined key risks that could weaken the capacity of communities in the future. First, the threat of rolling back decentralisation. “If communities lose their financial autonomy and powers, they lose speed and flexibility. In wartime conditions, this is critical. Local autonomy itself is a form of systemic resilience,” he remarked.

Second, the depletion of human resources due to the war. “Border regions are losing people who move abroad or relocate to safer areas. We are losing human capital, and its preservation has become one of our primary tasks,” the Mayor noted.

Third, financial constraints. According to Kodola, communities have lost a significant portion of their revenue after changes in budget policy.

“Our city has lost approximately 40% of its revenue. Previously, we could support the Armed Forces systematically; now, we can barely cover basic needs,” he explained.

Despite these challenges, communities continue to function, in part thanks to the support of international partners.
Today, it is at the community level that the state’s ability to function and endure is determined. How we face upcoming challenges, particularly the winter, hinges on our capacity, “ Oleksandr Kodola concluded.

“Open Ukraine” is an international foundation established in 2007 on the initiative of Arseniy Yatsenyuk to strengthen Ukraine’s international standing. Each year, it organises the Kyiv Security Forum – Ukraine’s leading international platform for discussing war and peace – as well as the Youth Kyiv Security Forum, aimed at fostering a new generation of Ukrainian leaders.