Leipzig-Kyiv: a dynamic partnership in troubled times

Before the two cities were due to start their partnership, life in Kyiv was profoundly affected by the Second World War, during which it had been the focus of fierce fighting between armies of Germany and the Soviet Union, leaving large areas destroyed. When the battle for the city ended on 26 September 1941, over 650,000 Red Army soldiers went into captivity in Germany. Many did not survive. On top of this, German SS units murdered over 33,000 Kyiv Jews.

In 1961, 20 years after the war crimes of the Nazi regime, the Kremlin instigated the creation of two city-to-city partnerships, one between East Berlin and Moscow, and one between what were then the second-most significant cities of the USSR and East Germany: Kyiv and Leipzig.

Despite many concessions to Communist ideology, this marked the beginning of a “bottom-up” reconciliation between the two peoples, along with thriving exchanges. Both cities were centres of industry, trade fairs and culture. Delegations from industry, institutions and city government visited one another. Scientists and academics shared ideas, and the cities welcomed each other’s artists. Music was a key focus of cultural programmes in the form of performances in concert halls and opera houses, for example. Children and young people holidayed together at summer camps in cultures that were new and exciting to them, giving rise to many long-lasting friendships.

After the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in April 1986, many people were evacuated to Kyiv from areas contaminated with radiation. People from Leipzig helped the families affected.

Three years later, Leipzig became the centre of a historic event, when over 70,000 people gathered in St Nicholas’ Church on 9 October 1989 to protest against East Germany’s Communist government. The “Monday Demonstration” is considered a ground-breaking element in East Germany’s transition away from Communist government and towards German reunification. The Berlin Wall fell, which had divided East and West Germany, fell a few weeks later.

Ukraine declared independence on 24 August 1991 and ceased to be a member of the Soviet Union. In 1992 the two cities marked this by renewing their partnership under the auspices of democracy, breathing fresh life into their relationship. The focus was school partnerships, sporting competitions, cultural events and public trips. It was not uncommon for these to be organised by the people themselves, with local government providing financial support and expertise. The administrations of the two cities also shared experience on topics such as waste management.

In late November 2013, President Yanukovych refused to sign the association agreement which had been negotiated with the European Union. This led to growing protests on the Maidan, the Independence Square in the heart of Kyiv. These continued until February 2014 and were met with ever greater violence by the security forces. The situation then escalated between 18 and 20 February 2014, when over 100 people were shot dead by the security forces and several hundred were injured. In reaction to this, however, large parts of the army and security took the side of the opposition and forced the President to flee to Russia. As soon as the violence was over, a delegation of politicians, administrators, civil rights activists and members of the media, led by Mayor Jung travelled from Leipzig (itself a cradle of the Peaceful Revolution in 1989) to Kyiv in a show of solidarity. “Everything was still smoking. We shared in mourning the dead at first-hand. But we were also able to feel the sense of hope for ourselves. In that unique place we sensed the winds of change, feeling that people really wanted a new society and were prepared to give their lives for that,” recalls Dr Gabriele Goldfuß, head of the City of Leipzig’s Department for International Cooperation. The City of Leipzig worked with the Protestant church and used donations from the city’s population to set up an aid project to provide therapy to help victims of violence process their trauma.

It was in this initiative that the EuropaMaidan Leipzig Association took root. The association continues to provide trauma care, but its work now includes political education aimed at raising awareness among the people of Leipzig around developments in Kyiv and supporting Ukraine’s process of transformation towards democracy and decentralisation.

When Russia responded to the development of democracy in Ukraine by occupying Crimea in 2014 and instigating a proxy war in the east of the country, Leipzig donated hospital beds and medical equipment to Kyiv in order to provide better care for those injured in the war.

In June 2019, a commemorative plaque honouring the Ukrainian national composer Mykola Lysenko was unveiled at the house in Nürnberger Straße where he once lived. “Many people from Leipzig can see this plaque every day when they walk past the building,” says Vlad Nikolaev, who represents the City of Kyiv’s Department for International Cooperation, emphasising the plaque’s symbolic importance. “It shines a light on the long-term outcomes of our work.” In addition to music, numerous projects are underway ranging from literature, book fairs, the visual arts and independent artists, to the culture of commemoration, startups, Jewish life, libraries, social issues, new mobility and urban development. These all express the character of the partnership of younger generations and groups in the two cities in the years since the revolution of 2014.

In 2021-2022 Leipzig and Kyiv celebrated the 60th anniversary of their partnership, despite the adverse circumstances. The Covid pandemic was challenging for the municipal partners in a range of ways, but lively exchanges still took place, including discussions of how to overcome the pandemic and deliveries of testing stations and other aid. The municipal partners were pleased that a large delegation led by Mayor Klitschko was able to travel to Leipzig for the “Kyiv Days” from 8 to 12 October 2021 in spite of travel restrictions.

However, the Russian war of aggression meant it was not possible for a German delegation to Kyiv for the “Leipzig Project Week” from 20 to 23 May 2022 which had been planned as part of the anniversary celebrations. This caused the cancellation of several projects and events.

But it changed nothing about the close links between the two cities. Indeed, the war brought them even closer together. Beginning at the outbreak of war, the Leipzig city council approved several millions of euros from its own budget over the past year and a half to provide supplies such as medical aid, firefighting equipment and generators to Kyiv. Over 10,000 refugees from Ukraine have found refuge in Leipzig, where the city and civil society are providing for them. The people of Leipzig have also dug deep into their own pockets to make donations.

Reconstruction is now the primary focus of the partnership. Even before Russia invaded, the two cities were discussing questions of sustainable urban development focused on people’s lives and needs. For example, the Mayor of Kyiv Dr Vitaly Klitschko believes that a participatory budget is essential to give members of the public a say in upcoming investments worth millions of euros, as well as in fighting corruption as effectively as possible at the same time.

Even while the war has been going on, projects between city administrations focused on communications, resilience, crisis management and e-democracy have continued. The Ukraine Kontakt city partnership association has also restarted opportunities for young people to meet and share ideas.  “We have a children’s and young people’s Olympiad in Leipzig, and many children take part every year. This year, young people once again came from Ukraine and they were so happy to leave the horrors of war and all that pressure behind them, and just play sport again in Leipzig, meeting other young people and be children, and play some table football after the successful competitions,” said an optimistic Dr Goldfuß.

“It’s good to know that we have so many partners here, from the leadership, the city mayor, departmental mayors, the Taskforce Ukraine, the city council and the various departments. That really is a huge help to us, but without the people of Leipzig and especially our civil society associations and initiatives, maintaining a city-to-city partnership of this intensity would not be possible.”

Prepared by Burkhard Vielhaber with the support of Dr Gabriele Goldfuß, Head of Leipzig’s Department for International Cooperation