Birmingham’s sister city in Ukraine working to help war efforts around nation
“What the government of Russia decided to do was not to transform themselves, they decided to destroy threat they saw in us.”
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Vinnytsia, Ukraine is one of Birmingham’s sister cities. So far, it’s not facing a Russian siege like Kyiv.
Nazar Kovalenko works in Vinnytsia’s government as the Deputy Director for the city’s Institute for Urban Development. Before Russia invaded, he was working to bring the best from other European cities to Vinnytsia. But now, he’s working to help refugees find shelter and helping to provide humanitarian aid to other hard hit cities.
Vinnytsia is a city of about 400,000 residents, it’s known for being well developed with good public transport and urban mobility.
Kovalenko says Vinnytsia is a hub helping to get supplies to cities bearing the brunt of Russia’s attack like Kharkiv and Kyiv.
He says as much of the city as possible is open for business because Ukraine’s economy needs to keep working. Kovalenko says one of the ways Vinnytsia can support the war effort is by having a functional economy that provides services and pays taxes.
“There is no place you can run away from this, in one way or another, it’s hitting every citizen in the whole country,” said Kovalenko.
Vinnytsia hasn’t been spared from the war either. Russian airstrikes hit military bases nearby at the beginning of the invasion.
“It was such a strong and very loud noise, that people on the street, they just you know, scared and tried to sit down,” said Kovalenko.
The city’s airport was also hit days later. Ten people were killed and dozens more were injured.
Kovalenko believes Russia targeted cities behind the front to scare Ukrainians into giving up. But he says that won’t work.
“It reminds us that we have to do as much as possible, not only to protect our houses, but our cities, our relatives,” said Kovalenko.
He’s thankful for western support, but he says Ukraine needs to be a no-fly zone.
“Find those options how to protect us from air. And the rest we will do ourselves,” said Kovalenko.
Kovalenko also believes this war isn’t just about Russia and Ukraine, but the past vs. the future. He believes Ukraine’s development as a strong democracy on Russia’s border was frightening for Russia’s autocratic government.
“This war is provoked actually, not in the physical way, not in the military way, in the mental way,” said Kovalenko, “seeing this more or less young democratic country starting to be successful, starting to develop, starting to develop state institutions, to develop and strengthen human laws, economy.”
Kovalenko says before the way, the average salary of a Ukrainian worker was greater than their counterparts in Russia.
“What the government of Russia decided to do was not to transform themselves, they decided to destroy threat they saw in us,” said Kovalenko.
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