For nearly seven years, Milwaukee has had a sister city relationship with Irpin, Ukraine—meaning the two communities have a signed agreement to promote peace, cooperation and understanding.
WUWM spoke with a resident of Irpin about what life has been like there since Russia attacked three years ago, and what possibly lies ahead as Donald Trump returns to the U.S. White House.
Anastasiia Cherkas heads the Department of Land Resources for the Irpin City Council. She’s heavily involved in the rebuilding of Irpin—a city that had about 65,000 people before the Russian invasion. After being hit hard in the early weeks of the war and then going into recovery mode, the city has taken in thousands of people displaced from other regions.
Through interpreter Iryna Ryabchenko, Cherkas says that though bombs are not falling on Irpin, life there has dramatically changed.
“Our lives have changed drastically. Everything has been turned upside down. Everybody pretty much made the 180 turn. It’s not about living and building. It’s about survival,” Cherkas says.
Cherkas then wanted to add to her answer, saying that everyone has family or friends in the Ukrainian army or volunteering for the war effort.
“So, the war has touched us not only on personal, let’s say, mental and health issues. Many people have also lost lives. People lost their businesses, their finances. So it’s basically a time of huge loss and sacrifice,” Cherkas says.
Cherkas says she also worries about parts of Ukraine where fighting is still taking place—that includes Russian missile attacks on the capital city of Kyiv just 20 minutes away.
“There is no on-ground war. But the war is in the air. We can feel it. But at some point, it becomes—it’s wrong to say—but it becomes a new normal,” Cherkas says.
Cherkas says she’s grateful for the support many countries, including the U.S., provide to Ukraine, and that includes Milwaukee’s sister city ties to Irpin.
She especially points to the 800 routers and Wi-Fi access points donated to the Irpin educational system by a business in Franklin, Wis.
“It is now in the process of being delivered to Irpin, and we are waiting to simplify the logistics so we receive it sooner rather than later," Cherkas says.
Cherkas says she hopes the sister city relationship also benefits Milwaukee.
“We have hopefully shared enough of the common values. We have a shared view of democracy. We have a shared support of each other to make sure we have a cross-cultural exchange, that we are building a good society together," Cherkas says.
Milwaukee resident Boris Mayflish, whose parents were born in Ukraine, has also been active in the sister city relationship with Irpin. He hopes Milwaukeeans have also learned some perspective from the war-torn country.
“How to be more efficient. What it means to be inclusive. What economic prosperity means to every citizen of the city—not only to the privileged, but to everyone. And what real citizen patriotism looks like. They saw it. They saw it, and we inspired people of Milwaukee," Mayflish says.
Mayflish says his contacts in Ukraine now just want personal security.
“They want to sleep through the night without hearing air raids, without having to rush into the bomb shelters. That’s what they need—basic security," Mayflish says.
How that security may arrive, with the help of the incoming Trump administration, is difficult to say. NPR reported this week that President-elect Trump is no longer talking about stopping the war in one day. Instead, one of Trump's key envoys says it may take 100 days.
And will any deal allow Russia to keep parts of Ukraine it has already seized?
In Irpin, Anastasiia Cherkas says uncertainty is part of everyday life.
“In our minds, we always have two visions. One vision is we are always victorious. We are independent. We become strong and better and grow and develop,” she says, adding there is also a worst-case scenario.
“If we are an occupied area, how it’s going to work? That gives us strength to keep fighting. That gives us strength to make sure it doesn’t happen," Cherkas says.
Cherkas says if the U.S. eventually cuts back its aid to Ukraine, her country will look elsewhere for help and try to develop more of its own resources.
Interpreter Ryabchenko says Cherkas wanted to add one more sobering thought:
“At the end of the day, if something were to happen to her, if she doesn’t survive whatever happens, there will be this interview that will be out there to show her voice, to show her opinion about the Russian aggression. And she’s really happy you gave her this voice and means to speak out," Ryabchenko said.
On a happier note, Cherkas says someday she’d like to visit the U.S.
