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24.07.2025
Poltava and Kalmar: a partnership success story
On July 11, 2025, during the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2025), the Ukrainian city of Poltava and the Swedish city of Kalmar officially became sister cities. The memorandum of cooperation formalized an already active partnership that had been developing step by step for a year and a half. This partnership is part of the Cities4Cities Сommunity within the “International Municipal Cooperation” sphere of the Polaris Programme “Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine”.
From a fire truck ladder to an official agreement
The connection between Poltava and Kalmar began with a fire truck ladder: during the Lviv Municipal Partnership Forum in November 2023, Poltava’s Deputy Mayor Tetiana Bardina approached the Swedish organization Blåljus i Samverkan with a request for firefighting equipment. By January 2024, the equipment had arrived in Poltava — along with initial contacts with Kalmar’s municipal government.
Kalmar’s Vice Mayor Erik Ciardi became the first official from his municipality to visit Poltava:
“What matters most to us is how Poltava is handling the current situation. For us, it’s an extremely important learning experience because certain things are happening in Sweden too. We are not at war, but for instance, many of our water treatment plants have come under threat. So, we have a lot to learn. Perhaps even more from Poltava than Poltava from us.”
Humanitarian support: from the heart to the community
Civil society initiatives also play a vital role in the city-to-city partnership. Along with the vice mayor, representatives of Power Up Ukraine and Filippus Human Aid visited Poltava — two organizations that have delivered over a thousand generators to Ukraine in the past two and a half years. The Poltava community has already received generators for utility services, healthcare facilities, and kindergartens.
Volunteers and Kalmar representatives came to see first-hand how a Ukrainian city lives under the constant threat of missile attacks — and how the material aid they provided is helping Poltava remain resilient during the war.
Sharing knowledge: crisis preparedness, healthcare, waste management
Key parts of the visit included meetings with emergency responders, medical professionals, and critical infrastructure workers. Poltava’s specialists shared their experience of responding to emergencies — particularly the mass missile strike in September 2024 that resulted in hundreds of hospitalizations.
Swedish emergency services personnel — who operate under local authorities — were impressed by the versatility, coordination, and crisis response algorithms used by their Ukrainian counterparts.
Another promising area of future cooperation is waste management. While 99% of household waste in Sweden is recycled, most of Poltava’s waste still ends up in an overfilled landfill.
“Ukraine is becoming a new version of itself. We are changing. Sadly, war has become a catalyst for tremendous transformation. But personal connections and in-person visits are what truly drive meaningful cooperation,” said Poltava Acting Mayor Kateryna Yamshchykova.
Today, Poltava and Kalmar are united not only by an official agreement, but by shared challenges, trust, and the willingness to listen and act together. Because municipal partnerships are always about friendships between people — and only they can decide how strong and impactful the partnership will become.
Read more about Kalmar’s visit to Poltava in the article by Zmist media.
Swedish experts may offer valuable guidance for reform in this area.
The human side of the partnership
“Ukraine is becoming a new version of itself. We are changing. Sadly, war has become a catalyst for tremendous transformation. But personal connections and in-person visits are what truly drive meaningful cooperation,” said Poltava Acting Mayor Kateryna Yamshchykova.
Today, Poltava and Kalmar are united not only by an official agreement, but by shared challenges, trust, and the willingness to listen and act together. Because municipal partnerships are always about friendships between people — and only they can decide how strong and impactful the partnership will become.
Read more about Kalmar’s visit to Poltava in the article by Zmist media.