You're reading: Ukraine’s youngest elected village head and his ambitious plans

Artem Kukharenko became Ukraine’s youngest village head after voters elected him on Oct. 25 to take charge of their hamlet of Podilske in Cherkasy Oblast, located some 225 kilometers southeast of Kyiv. He convincingly took 80 percent of the vote in the village of 663 people.

“I was born here, I
live here. My parents live here. People know that I have never been involved in
any wrongdoing and they trust me,” Kukharenko told the Kyiv Post by phone.

He cited “decay” in his
native Podilske for running in the local election as voters nationwide took to
the polls to elect their local and regional council lawmakers and heads of
municipalities. “For me it’s hard to watch how the village is being destroyed,”
he said. “No roads, no work. The young run away to cities but I don’t want my
village to turn into a farm.”

Kukharenko first wanted
to become head of the village when he was 17 years old, but made the decisive
first step a year ago. “Initially I was hesitating a bit because I did not know
how I would be able to continue my university studies,” he said.

Still, despite the chronic
lack of time he manages to combine work and study. He currently is enrolled in
archival studies in his graduating year at the Chekasy National University. He
studies remotely and takes his exams via Skype.

“I study only on
weekends and at night,” he said, adding that his classmates help with lecture notes
and teachers try to be understanding of his new responsibilities.

Taking most of his
time is work as village head. Kukharenko often stays up late. “When I submitted
my candidacy…I did not even imagine how neglected everything is,” he said.
“There was no documentation of all the buildings that are on the balance of the
village council. Garages, a dormitory and even a village house of culture –
everything collapsed. Let alone street lights and roads.”

Two months on the job,
Kukharenko has already installed new windows and doors in the local clubhouse.
Some days ago he held a charity music concert there. The 200-person capacity club was packed, he said.

“My
aim was to raise money for road reconstruction,” Kukharenko said, noting that Hr
15,135 (around $600) was raised that night.

Yet to
repair roads the village requires much more, Hr 200,000 to be exact. Kukharenko
is now looking for private investors or donors to accomplish his goal and
believes he will succeed. In 2011, he formed a village soccer team and found
sponsors to purchase the gear and clothing. A year later Kukharenko found money
to build a children’s playground in the village.

His next goal is to rebuild
garages and a dormitory. “I plan to lease the buildings. And the money received
from the rent will be spent on lighting the roads,” he said.

Kukharenko so far hasn’t
faced serious criticism, according to him. “I hear different weird gossips
about myself from time to time. But I don’t pay attention to them,” he said.
“But I do accept new constructive ideas.”

His work means he has
no time for hobbies, a private life, yet he sometimes goes out with his friends
to a discotheque. Kukharenko’s parents were initially against his decision to
become the head of the village but now they support him.

“They just know that
if I made a decision, I will make efforts to do it,” he said. “I want young
people to have jobs and live here with kids playing. I want to see my village
prosperous.”

Kyiv Post staff writer Nataliya Trach can be
reached at [email protected]