What began as a series of Fairfield County town partnerships with war-torn Ukrainian communities has now expanded statewide, making Connecticut the first U.S. state to formally establish a partnership with Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
Westport established a sister city relationship with Marigny-Le-Lozon, France, helping to rebuild a liberated town after World War II. Beginning in 1946 the relationship lasted for nearly two decades.
That tradition of helping war-torn cities was reignited in December 2022, when Westport paired with Lyman, Ukraine, a province in the eastern part of the country devastated by Russia’s invasion. In partnership with Ukraine Aid International (UAI), Westport began raising money for materials to support the city and its civilians.
Soon after the neighboring towns of Easton, Greenwich, Weston, Stamford, Ridgefield, and Fairfield followed Westport’s lead and launched their own sister-city partnerships in the Donetsk Oblast region on the front line of the war.
On Aug. 6, Connecticut elevated those local efforts, becoming the first U.S. state to formally establish a partnership with Donetsk.
Gov. Ned Lamont signed the pact virtually from Hartford, while Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin joined from a bunker in Donetsk. The ceremony was witnessed by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Reps. Rosa DeLauro and John Larson, State Sen. Ceci Maher, several Fairfield County first selectmen, and leadership from UAI.
The agreement, modeled after UAI’s town to town partnerships in Fairfield County, establishes a framework for long-term cooperation between Connecticut and Donetsk. The focus includes cultural, educational, humanitarian and economic exchanges, with local committees raising private funds to support specific needs identified by Ukrainian municipalities.
“For Connecticut and for me it formalizes a community to community promise that blends symbolism with action,” said Marshall Mayer, co-founder of UAI. “The state’s broader CT-Donetsk Sister State framework underscores cultural, educational, humanitarian and economic cooperation, and it spotlights the leadership towns like Easton, Westport and Fairfield have shown since 2022 through UAI’s program.”
State officials and UAI leaders emphasized that Connecticut’s commitment represents a pioneering model at the national level. While several U.S. towns have created sister-city links with Ukraine, Connecticut is the first state to elevate the effort to a statewide framework. Advocates say the move positions Connecticut as a leader in grassroots international cooperation and could inspire other states to follow suit.
In Fairfield a local steering committee has supported tangible projects for its partner town Kostiantynivka, ranging from an armored evacuation van to a crane, a refrigerated van and a dump truck.
Easton has collectively raised more than $100,000 for its partner town, Sviatohirsk. With that support, UAI has delivered water filtration systems providing more than 6,000 civilians with clean water, two dump trucks to restore basic services, a heating pellet production line serving 15,000 residents through the winter, and a water carrier truck for remote villages.
Sviatohirsk still needs essential items for civilians and first responders. Immediate needs include medical tourniquets, chest dressings, burn wipes, hemostatic gauze, and tactical equipment such as Starlink Mini units, body armor and drone detectors, said Diane McCann, on behalf of the Easton-Sviatohirsk steering committee.
“We remain eternally grateful for Easton’s continued support,” said Mayer. “That support remains vital to keep Ukraine free.”
Mayer emphasized that the long-term impact of the Sister State program has two tracks: stabilizing essential services in Ukrainian partner cities and creating a civic project in Connecticut that educates residents, unites volunteers and provides a transparent way to transform empathy into measurable outcomes.
“If everyone contributes at the local level, the collective result is powerful,” said Mayer. “This partnership shows that small towns can make a lasting difference.”
Donations of any size make a direct impact from medical kits that save lives on the frontlines to clean water systems for families. To learn more or contribute, visit UAI’s website.
From FCN partner Easton Courier.
