Lviv and Kharkiv strengthen cooperation

14:20 18.01.2025

City

A delegation from Lviv visited Kharkiv as part of the national project ‘Side by Side: Cohesive Communities’, initiated by the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine.

The delegation included the First Deputy Mayor of Lviv, Andriy Moskalenko, and the Director of the City Institute, Maksym Terletskyi. They met with the First Deputy Mayor of Kharkiv Oleksandr Novak and the Head of the Kharkiv Reforms Office Dmytro Davydyants to discuss common challenges and areas of cooperation.

The ‘Side by Side’ project aims to unite rear-guard communities and outpost communities located on the frontline or along the border with the enemy to support and restore them.

The delegation from Lviv spent two days exploring Kharkiv. The guests visited a metro school and an underground school, a tram depot, the Regional Service Centre, the Svoi space for internally displaced persons, and saw the consequences of hostile shelling in Northern Saltovka.

During the visit, they discussed joint areas of work, including barrier-free access, energy, support for IDPs, restoration of housing and infrastructure, education and youth projects. As a result, the participants agreed to set up a working group to coordinate actions and engage relevant experts.

Oleksandr Novak spoke about the situation in the city and outlined the urgent needs. According to him, about 11,000 buildings in Kharkiv were damaged, most of them residential.

‘The ‘Side by Side’ project is a good initiative. It is really important and useful for our cities. We have already built some communication, discussed areas of work, and will propose to set up a working group to engage specialists to further implement the relevant projects. Lviv and Kharkiv are two cities that have always been united by common values, and today - by a common struggle for freedom and independence of Ukraine,’ said Oleksandr Novak.

Andriy Moskalenko, First Deputy Mayor of Lviv, stressed the importance of communities working together to rebuild the affected cities. He shared Lviv's experience in implementing reconstruction programmes, cooperating with international funds, and implementing strategic projects.

‘Our modern history is being created now. Today, the world is looking at Ukraine because of the people who are working for the future. Together with our colleagues from the Kharkiv City Council, we have identified six main areas of cooperation, including mobility and infrastructure restoration. I am confident that the result of our synergy will be an example for the whole country,’ said Andriy Moskalenko.

It is worth reminding that Lviv and Kharkiv signed a memorandum of cooperation within the framework of the ‘Side by Side: United Communities’ project on 17 December 2024.