STA, 11 April - The Kočevje municipality in southern Slovenia had been forging ties with the Bucha municipality near Kyiv before the war in Ukraine erupted in February. The two were preparing to become twin towns, a process to continue after the war. In the meantime Kočevje is trying to help Bucha, an area now notorious for reports of atrocities.
Kočevje made contact with Bucha local authorities in 2019 through U-Lead Bridges of Trust, a programme funded by donors from Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania and Slovenia that aims to strengthen ties between Ukrainian and EU municipalities, Kočevje Mayor Vladimir Prebilič told the STA.
The two municipalities signed a letter of intent as a precondition for town twinning, but the process was then suspended because of the war, he said, adding it would go on after the war ends.
Prebilič currently has no contact with Bucha Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk as the latter has been busy since the beginning of the war in efforts to protect his town, and he was also wounded. Prebilič is in contact with another senior Bucha official though and from time to time Kočevje learns of the current situation in the Ukrainian town.
Being eager to help out, the Slovenian town launched a donation campaign for its twin town to-be that raised some 50 tonnes of material aid.
Bucha, home to some 29,000 residents, is one of the smallest Ukrainian municipalities. It has recently become notorious as a site of documented atrocities against civilians committed by Russian troops. The battle for Bucha ended in late March with the withdrawal of Russian forces.