Bath could soon sign a “friendship agreement” with a city in Ukraine which Bathonians have been supporting.
A building in Oleksandria, Ukraine | Photo © Konoplytska / Shutterstock.com
Oleksandriya stands on the Ingulets river in the Kirovohradska oblast in central Ukraine and has a population similar to Bath.
Bath sent 13 generators to Oleksandriya in January, and in February held a concert at Bath Abbey to raise more funds to support the city.
Now Bath and North East Somerset Council will vote on agreeing to a formal “friendship agreement” with the Ukrainian city.
Council leader Kevin Guy has written to Serhii Kuzmenko, the Mayor of Oleksandriya, to tell him of the plans.
Local group Bath Stands with Ukraine met with the council in May 2022 to urge them to establish ties with a similar-sized city in Ukraine, and group Friends of Oleksandriya was formed after the council began speaking with Oleksandria City Council.
One of the group’s founding members is Zhenya Shkil, a Bathford local of Ukrainian origin, is now the official representative for Oleksandriya in the United Kingdom.
She said in January: “Oleksandriya is a small city of similar size to Bath, with surrounding villages, similar to North East Somerset.
“It has become a major centre for refugees and the injured and needs help to cope with the influx of people, as well as the effects of Russian attacks on infrastructure.”
Less formal than a twinning arrangement, a friendship agreement was seen as the best way to quickly establish ties with the city.
Bath and North East Somerset previously had such an agreement with the Chinese city of Jingdezhen and province of Jiangxi, but broke this off in November over concerns about human rights in China.
Councillors will vote on approving the plan for a friendship agreement with Oleksandriya at a session of full council on 16th March at Bath’s Guildhall.
John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter
