Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Olena Kondratiuk visited Novovolynsk, a border community in the Volyn region, on a working trip.
‘It is important for me to maintain constant contact, to know, feel and understand how small communities live in wartime,’ said the Deputy Speaker.
According to her, for decades Novovolynsk was closely linked to the coal industry. Now this community is becoming an example of successful transformation.
‘Novovolynsk is gradually moving away from dependence on mines to the development of new areas — entrepreneurship, green energy, processing industry, innovative production and education focused on the modern labour market,’ said Olena Kondratiuk.
Investors in the community enjoy tax breaks until 2037, including a 0% income tax rate. The community has accepted 10 relocated businesses and 4,200 internally displaced persons. More than 300 children from IDP families attend local schools.
During her visit, Deputy Speaker Olena Kondratiuk familiarised herself with the work of the city hospital, visited the modern Youth Centre 4.0, and visited the Austrian company Kronospan.
During her visit to the Novovolynsk Central City Hospital, Olena Kondratiuk spoke with the management and medical staff. She familiarised herself with the new physical and rehabilitation medicine department and met with veterans who are recovering from injuries. The Deputy Speaker also visited the renovated women's and mental health centres. All departments are equipped with modern equipment, and the doctors include internally displaced persons from Mariupol and Kherson.
‘In the context of war and challenges to the energy system, it is important to ensure the autonomy of critical infrastructure facilities. With the support of the EU, the hospital has installed solar power stations on its buildings with a capacity of about 130 kW. This has resulted in savings of more than 30% on electricity costs,’ said Olena Kondratiuk.
The Deputy Speaker also visited the Youth Centre 4.0, which opened in 2024. She familiarised herself with the centre's activities, which have already reached more than 2,500 schoolchildren and young people.
Olena Kondratiuk spoke with students from academic and regional lyceums, representatives of the youth organisations NGO ‘New Wings’ and ‘Youth Sails’. In particular, they discussed the development and use of artificial intelligence, further plans for the Youth Centre's activities, and the interests and educational needs of children and young people.
Olena Kondratiuk also familiarised herself with the production facilities of Kronospan, a leading woodworking enterprise in Novovolynsk, which represents Austrian business in Ukraine.
The Kronospan plant in Novovolynsk was founded in 2004 on the site of a former cotton spinning factory. The enterprise underwent a large-scale reconstruction, and modern automated European equipment was imported and installed.
‘It is important that Austrian businesses operating in Ukraine have not stopped their activities even in the context of a full-scale war. In 2024, Kronospan in Ukraine paid 1.2 billion hryvnias in taxes and fees and attracted 129 million euros in Austrian investments,’ Olena Kondratiuk emphasised.
As the Vice Speaker noted, people in Novovolynsk are motivated not to leave the country, but to stay, find work, try their hand at entrepreneurship, and contribute to the development of the city.
‘This is a good example for other communities,’ Olena Kondratiuk concluded.