"Zhukiv Khutir" is a national-level forest nature reserve in Bucha Raion, west of the village of Mykhailivka-Rubezhivka and 20 km from Kyiv. It covers 622.5 hectares and protects tall, mature pine-oak forests at the very southern border of Kyiv Polissia — further south, the forest-steppe begins. It is one of the closest large forest areas to the capital where you can take a quiet walk away from the crowds.
What is protected here
The reserve was established on December 26, 1985, covering 490 hectares, and was expanded to 622.5 hectares by a presidential decree in 1996. The land is managed by the Irpin Forestry. The main tree species are Scots pine and oak; silver birch, Norway maple, and ash grow nearby. The undergrowth features hazel, warted and European spindle trees, and dogwood. The ground is covered with bilberry bushes, fragrant solomon's seal, lily of the valley, and mezereon. Spiny clubmoss, listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine, can also be found.
There is a small lake in the middle of the forest, and the forest roads are well suited for walking and cycling. In summer, people gather bilberries here, and in autumn, mushrooms.
Mykhailivka-Rubezhivka
The village near the reserve was formed by the merger of Mykhailivka and Rubezhivka; the Myslyn and Bucha rivers flow through it. Until the 17th century, Rubezhivka belonged to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, and between 1622 and 1627, the future Metropolitan Petro Mohyla lived here as a novice in one of the Lavra's sketes. His notes from 1629 are the first written mention of the village. A monument to Petro Mohyla stands in the village.
The village features the wooden Church of the Archangel Michael, built between 1900 and 1903, with a bell tower above the narthex. The Bolsheviks demolished its domes and turned the church into a grain warehouse, and later a club. The church was reopened in 1989 and rebuilt with four new domes. From February 28 to March 31, 2022, the village was under Russian occupation.
How to get there
Mykhailivka-Rubezhivka is located 16 km west of Kyiv, near Irpin and Vorzel. The nearest railway station is Vorzel on the Kyiv — Korosten line, from which it is about a 3 km walk or a taxi ride. The reserve begins on the western outskirts of the village.
Tip
Lighting fires and cutting down trees are prohibited in the reserve, and mushrooms and berries should be gathered carefully. Bring water and tick repellent — the forest is large, and it is easy to get the trails mixed up. Nearby is the Vorzel Nature Reserve. Read more about the region in the article about Kyiv Polissia.
