Stamford meeting marks progress for Ukranian twin town

Thursday, 11 January 2024 at 10:23

Gostomel bridge, damaged, during the initial advance of Russian forces.

A meeting tonight at the Stamford Arts Centre marks a step forward in the initiative to twin Stamford with the Ukranian city of Gostomel (Hostomel).

Plans to twin the Ukrainian city of Gostomel are expected to move a step closer this evening with a meeting being held in the Arts Centre gallery at 6pm , ahead of the showing of a documentary about the heroes of Ukraine.

Gostomel was the location of the first battle of Ukraine and much of the centre of the city was destroyed. Natalia Yakovleva, from Gostomel, is leading the twinning initiative and also made the documentary. She says the city has been damaged several time throughout the conflict so far:

“It’s a similar size [to Stamford] and also an old place, but it has been destroyed more than three times because of war” says Natalia. Due to its proximity to Kiev, Gostomel occupies a key location in the Russian offensive in Ukraine. It was one of the first cities that Russian forces encountered in 2022.

To hear more of the interview with Natalia, and for the morning's news bulletin and weather, please click on the Play tab.

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