CINCINNATI – Mayor Aftab Pureval has reached out to Cincinnati’s sister city in Ukraine and to the White House to offer assistance after Russian military forces launched deadly attacks against its neighbor state. 

What You Need To Know

  • Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval voiced his support for the people of Ukraine during Thursday’s meeting of City Council

  • On Thursday, Russian forces moved into parts of Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of 137 people

  • Reports of damage were reported in areas across the country, including in Cincinnati’s sister city, Kharkiv, which is not far from the Russia-Ukraine border

  • Pureval said he reached out to the White House to offer his support, including using Cincinnati as a possible site for Ukrainian refugees
​On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin ordered a "special military operation" against Ukraine, which shares a lengthy north-to-south border with Russia along its entire eastern side.

 

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that at least 137 Ukrainians were killed in the first 24 hours of Russia's invasion, with more than 300 people wounded. Widespread damage has been reported in areas across the country.

One of the hardest hit areas was Kharkiv, according to the Associated Press, a border city with a largely Russian-speaking population. Reports from the AP suggest missile fire and explosions across Ukraine’s second-largest city.

During Thursday’s City Council meeting, Pureval spoke of the “tragic events of last night and today in our sister city of Kharkiv and in cities across Ukraine.” 

“These were innocent, peaceful civilians in a nation that had shown no aggression, subjected to an unjustifiable and unprovoked attack by Russian military forces,” Pureval said. “We pray for the safety of our sister city and for all its residents and of all Ukrainian citizens during this dark time.”

Kharkiv has a special connection to the city of Cincinnati. Since 1989, the two cities have been “sister cities” as part of an international program that aims to create global relationships based on cultural, educational, information and trade exchanges.

Delegations from the two sides communicate regularly and make semi-frequent trips to expand goodwill, learn about each other and bring good ideas home to share. A delegation from Kharkiv had planned to travel to Cincinnati in mid-March to meet with local leaders. It’s not yet clear if that trip will still take place.

Pureval said his office has reached out to the city governments of Kharkiv to express solidarity and to offer to be “helpful in any way we can.” They’ve also reached out to the Biden administration to offer Cincinnati as a destination for Ukrainian refugees. 

“He will continue to explore ways to support impacted residents (of Ukraine), but today we will say loudly and clearly to all victims of this violence and aggression: We stand with you,” he said.

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