The Town of Greenwich held a ceremony on Wednesday to mark the one year anniversary since it became a sister city to Izyum, Ukraine.
It's been over two years since the war between Russia and Ukraine began. Since then, there have been demonstrations of solidarity across the nation.
"This partnership symbolizes more than just a formal connection between two locations,” said Olga Litvinenko, the president and cofounder of
USA for Ukraine.
Litvinenko facilitated the twin-city effort, after Izyum residents were heavily impacted by the war.
"They experienced a lot of strikes; they experienced a lot of loss and yet the people are so resilient there,” said Litvinenko. "We've been able to donate medical supplies to the Izyum hospital, we've been able to bring pre-packed meals, we've been able to also deliver water filtration units.”
The war is ongoing but Litvinenko said solidarity efforts like this one have helped keep the citizens of Ukraine hopeful. Litvinenko read a letter at the ceremony from Izyum Mayor Valerii Marchenko.
"We appreciate the help of the American people and sincerely thank you for your support,” Litvinenko read aloud. “[It] strengthens our belief that Ukraine will definitely win."
To mark the one year anniversary of the relationship between the communities, Greenwich will
host a benefit tour on April 26 at 8 p.m. featuring the National Ensemble of Soloists, Kyiv Camerata.
Litvinenko said all proceeds will benefit humanitarian and animal aid in Ukraine.