Interview with Anna Bychenko, Head of the Lyptsi Rural Military Administration, and Yevhen Lukianenko, Director of the Kharkiv Regional Development Agency.

(Recorded during the II International Forum of Ukrainian Agglomerations, ‘Agglomerations and Functional Territories: European Approaches and Their Implementation in Ukraine’, Lviv, 24 October 2025)

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– The Kharkiv region is at the forefront of Ukraine’s defence. Its communities are under constant shelling. So why is the topic of agglomeration important here right now?

– We live near the front line and many of our communities have been destroyed. But even in these circumstances, we must consider development. When communities work together, there are greater opportunities, fewer risks for donors and greater trust. Rather than just one community working alone, donors see that several communities are working together. This is a completely different level.

Agglomeration remains a possibility, even during wartime. It provides an opportunity to unite and strengthen communities, enabling them to respond more effectively to the challenges of today. Thus, it is an opportunity to make Ukraine stronger.

– Can you name a few advantages of agglomeration cooperation for communities in the Kharkiv region?

– In frontline communities, people often find themselves out of work and businesses without orders. If communities cooperate, they can share equipment, transport, and specialists.

For example, some communities have utility companies but limited funding. Other communities have adequate funding, but not enough vehicles. These communities should support each other. This would also help to preserve jobs. Such collaboration can be achieved within an agglomeration and will be effective.

– In your opinion, can agglomeration help to rebuild communities in the region?

– It can. There has been a lot of destruction in our territories. All of this needs to be rebuilt. If communities unite, they can attract resources, equipment and people more easily, enabling them to restore infrastructure faster and provide better services to the population.

Agglomeration makes collaboration possible. Think of it as a shared home – everyone has their own space, but we all use the same systems. This is logical: our communities are located close to each other, we have common problems and resources, and these can be found and used jointly.

– In October, you attended the Second International Forum of Ukrainian Agglomerations and took part in a peer-to-peer exchange visit organised in the Lviv region as part of the Council of Europe’s ‘Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine’s recovery’ project, in cooperation with the Association ‘Lviv Agglomeration’. What were your impressions of these events?

– Transport, education, healthcare and other services are essential for people, particularly in wartime. Public authorities must consider how to organise these services. Currently, we must actively establish cooperation systems that would 'bind' communities together, aligning them with modern global standards and enabling the effective mobilisation of international resources for community recovery.

Therefore, agglomeration is not only about development, but also about survival in wartime. When communities join forces, they can support each other more easily and endure hardships together. Agglomeration is not just an economic tool; it is also about humanity and mutual support.

– For us, agglomeration is an opportunity. It is about reconstruction, and about believing that we can live better. Even amid shelling, we must think about the future and plan and build it.

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This material was produced within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine ‘Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction’ for 2023–2026 and the project ‘Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine’s recovery’, implemented by the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.