The mayor of Chernihiv in Ukraine thanked Taiwan on Wednesday for its US$500,000 donation to help with the reconstruction of his city, which has been under heavy attack by Russian military forces since they invaded Ukraine earlier this year.
“On behalf of the community of the city of Chernihiv and me personally, let us express our sincere gratitude to you for your significant financial support,” Vladyslav Atroshenko wrote in a letter addressed to the Taiwanese people.
In the letter published on the Chernihiv City Council website, Atroshenko said the city has been subjected to hard shelling and bombing by the Russian military since the very first day of the war in Ukraine.
“And at this heavy time, when our city needs essential help for reconstruction, your financial support that was allocated to the restoration of educational and medical institutions is really invaluable,” he wrote.
“With joint efforts we will definitely restore our beautiful ancient city and make it more comfortable, modern and prosperous,” the Ukrainian mayor said in the letter, which also expressed hopes for a close partnership with Taiwan in the future.
Taiwan’s US$500,000 donation, received on Aug. 4, will be directed to help with the restoration of two schools and a hospital in Chernihiv, the mayor said.
The city in northern Ukraine, which has a population of 285,000, is the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year, Ukrainan President Volodymyr Zelensky has conferred the honorary title of Hero City on some cities, including Chernihiv, which have put up a strong resistance to the Russian forces.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel