WESTON, CONNECTICUT LAUNCHES SISTER CITY PARTNERHSIP WITH UKRAINE AID INTERNATIONAL, INC.

For immediate release

Contact: Iryna Kolzina akolzina29@gmail.com

Weston, Connecticut has joined the humanitarian effort to aid Ukrainian citizens in partnership with Ukraine Aid International, Inc, adopting its sister city, of Siversk.  This program aims to create a strong relationship between the citizens of Weston and the citizens of Siversk, in an effort to boost morale and provide support to those who have been severely impacted by the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“This is more than a gesture. It comes from the very heart of what Weston is all about, a spirit of generosity, an awareness that regardless of distance we are connected to those whose circumstances are very, very different from ours, ” said Samantha Nestor, Weston First Selectwoman. 

The town of Weston will officially launch the sister city project on June 28^th at 5 pm at Town Hall, in a ceremony celebrating Ukrainian culture.  Local politicians and dignitaries are slated to attend the event, including Representative Anne Hughes and State Senator Ceci Maher.

Siversk is a small city in the Bakhmut region of Ukraine, located 62 miles north of Donetsk.  The city was founded in 1784 as a mining town and named after the nearby River Siverskyi.  Much like Weston, prior to the war, Siversk was a family friendly town, with a little more than 10,000 residents in a bucolic setting.

In July 2022, the city became the site of a battle between forces from Russia and the breakaway DPR and LPR against Ukrainian forces. Due to the 2022 Kharkiv counteroffensive, Russian forces were unable to make further gains in the city and withdrew from Siversk on September 8, 2022.

Despite this victory, Siversk remains close to the front line and the war has left a devastating impact on the town. For the last two years, Siversk, has not had any gas or electricity. Internet and cell phone connectivity is limited.  Flattened by shelling, only one of their three schools remain and the college where students learned farming and how to operate agricultural machinery was destroyed.

“A little piece of American heart will make the Ukrainian heart even bigger than it is now,” said the Mayor of Siversk, Alexey Vorobiev.

Because of Mayor Vorobiev’s heroic efforts, there are virtually no children left in Siversk.  He brought close to 100 children to the Karpathian mountains for safe refuge and is looking to bring the children to Romania, as well as to the United States. 

Despite adversity, Mayor Vorobiev continues to ensure that the basic needs of the remaining population are met. Vorobiev arranges for food to be delivered to citizens weekly and ensure that hygiene products are delivered each month.  Additionally, the government provided generators for each household and continues to pay monthly salaries to communal workers.

According to Ukraine Aid International, Inc., the Kharkiv Counteroffensive has left the town of Siversk with little resources. The Town of Weston is stepping up through its partnership program to raise funds to provide the necessary relief for those remaining in the town.

In the Phase 1 of the fundraising project, Siversk is in immediate need of the following items:

• Trash Truck to restore hygiene and prevent disease during the summer heat
• 2 x Armored Vehicles for Evacuating Civilians from the frontlines
• 2 x Washing Machines to create communal laundry
• Water Filtration systems

The Town of Weston has created a steering community, chaired by Iryna Kolzina, to educate Westonites about the needs in Siversk.

“Weston - Siversk Sister-City Partnership is nothing but a pure act of Kindness, “ Kolzina said.  “There is a Ukrainian idiom - “Dobro zavzhdy peremahaye zlo" which means Kindness always triumphs over evil. So, this partnership brings us closer to the victory that all Ukrainians are praying for every day! And one Ukrainian town, among many others, which lost most of its population due to the war, will be alive because we will be supporting Siversk during these hard times, and one day people will come back to live there happily ever after.” 

The Weston sister city program is coordinated under the auspices of Ukraine Aid International as part of a regional effort that includes sister city programs with the towns of Easton and Westport.  Ukraine Aid International, Inc. is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contributions to Ukraine Aid International are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

For more information please contact Iryna Kolzina akolzina29@gmail.com or Allyson Hupka at allyson@ukraineaidinternational.org

To learn more about UAI, click here

TO DONATE:

  https://www.ukraineaidinternational.org/donate