Which regional centers have the most sister cities? – ranking

Among the regional centers, the capital holds the first place with 70 sister cities.

Lviv ranks second, followed by Uzhhorod in third place. These communities have 32 and 25 sister cities respectively. Dnipro and Odesa also made it into the top five. These data were provided to the public initiative “Holka” by the city councils of regional centers as part of the special project “Bridges of Ukraine.”

Since the full-scale invasion, Kyiv has added the most sister cities — 14, with almost as many in Lviv — 13. Dnipro and Rivne added 9 and 8 sister cities respectively. Regarding the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, and Sevastopol, only the cities that were sister cities before early 2014 were counted, excluding cities from the aggressor state — Russia.

Ukrainian cities have the most sister cities in Poland, Germany, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Turkey, Romania, and the United States.

Some cities, in addition to sister cities, also mentioned partner cities with which communities develop cooperative relationships. During an interview, Oleksandr Slobozhan, executive director of the association of Ukrainian cities, emphasized that before the full-scale invasion, sister city relations between Ukrainian and European cities were mostly cultural exchanges. Now, these ties represent opportunities to attract funding to communities and implement joint infrastructure projects:

Oleksandr Slobozhan

Executive director, association of Ukrainian cities

Ask Question

We are trying to connect Ukrainian and European businesses on mutually beneficial terms. Having a sister city in Europe allows for attracting funding. Ninety-five percent of what has been rebuilt so far is assistance through this channel.

We also have the ‘Bridges of Trust’ program, where Ukrainian and European municipalities implement joint infrastructure projects. This creates jobs, strengthens the economy, and increases tax revenues.

Slobozhan added that Ukrainian cities overall have more than 3,000 sister cities worldwide, and Ukrainians living abroad are also involved in building these connections. Before the full-scale war, cooperation between sister cities mainly focused on cultural exchange and organizing events. Now, it also involves humanitarian aid collection, children’s health programs, rehabilitation of defenders, business ties, and consequently funding for Ukrainian communities, as well as participation of European cities in infrastructure projects in Ukraine.

Margarita Sytnyk

Co-founder of the public initiative “Holka” and author of the project “Bridges of Ukraine

Ask Question

Every Ukrainian abroad can be an ambassador for their community and help establish such connections. For example, by uniting Ukrainians to connect communities abroad and in Ukraine. No central government can cover such a large number of cities and reach the regional level in each country. However, horizontal connections among people, organizations, and communities work very well. It is important to continue expanding the sister city network to support and advocate for Ukraine’s interests. Moreover, sister city relations strengthen the connection with home and help preserve Ukrainian identity.

Reminder: In July, representatives from over 100 communities will attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome, Italy. The public initiative “Holka” and the Innovation Development Center will hold a meeting on July 4 for community representatives, with registration ongoing. The event is aimed at preparing communities for advocacy and presenting their projects in English.