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The Vysokopillia community held another meeting of the working group of community engagement in a hybrid format. Representatives of the local authorities, municipal institutions, the police, the local fire brigade, civil society, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine participated in the meeting. Participants discussed changes in the security situation, the current needs of the community’s settlements, the results of a strategic session on veterans’ policy, and possible solutions for the coming period.
According to community representatives, the security situation has deteriorated recently due to an increase in shelling and FPV drone activity. The use of drones operating on different frequencies and new technologies has created an additional challenge, necessitating the supplementation of existing detection equipment with other systems.
During the meeting, the Vysokopillia community received two “Dzyga” drone detectors from the Kherson Regional Charitable Foundation “Union,” provided by the Foundation’s partners at Razom for Ukraine. Community representatives had repeatedly raised the need for such equipment during previous working group meetings. The detectors will be provided to the community’s municipal enterprises to enhance the safety of their employees while working.
Considerable attention was paid to connectivity issues in remote settlements. In some villages, mobile and internet services are unavailable or unstable due to damaged infrastructure. This affects not only everyday communication and the educational process but also directly impacts people’s safety, as they cannot always receive timely information about air raids or drone threats.
Therefore, one of the community’s priority needs identified was the creation of local alert systems, primarily in villages with poor connectivity. The participants also discussed the possibility of providing these settlements with alternative means of internet access, including Starlink, as well as the need to improve mobile coverage.
Other identified needs included outdoor video surveillance cameras near certain facilities, safe lighting of public areas, particularly near shelters and facilities attended by children, as well as protective measures along routes used to transport students. Participants agreed to examine these needs in greater detail and to gradually develop specific technical solutions to secure further support from partners.
A separate part of the meeting was devoted to veterans’ policy. Participants were presented with the results of a strategic session held this summer for the Vysokopillia and Novovorontsovka communities. The session examined how the system of support for veterans, including female veterans and their families, currently operates and which elements require further development.
The identified priorities include creating a veterans’ center, strengthening psychological support, developing outreach services for residents of remote villages, ensuring access to transportation, and establishing clear referral pathways between institutions and services.
The community already has veteran support specialists, a veterans’ council, and social, administrative, and medical services. At the same time, participants emphasized the need to strengthen systematic coordination among them. Possible solutions discussed included developing joint procedures and action pathways for different situations that veterans, female veterans, and their family members may face.
UNDP representatives also informed participants about current opportunities to support veterans’ civil society organizations and initiatives, as well as upcoming training activities for community representatives.
Regular working group meetings enable the community and its partners to jointly track changes in the security situation, update needs, and identify practical opportunities to address them.
This grant initiative is being implemented by the Kherson Regional Charitable Foundation Union within the framework of EU4Recovery—a flagship partnership between the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, co-financed by the Government of Sweden.
