Siversk Falls

Yan Boechat/VOA

Weston’s sister city of Siversk, Ukraine has fallen into Russian hands following the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops last week.

A December 23 statement by the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces, citing a persistent disadvantage in manpower and equipment, announced the pullback. “In order to preserve the lives of our soldiers and the ammunition of the units, Ukrainian defenders withdrew from the settlement.”

Intense fighting continues in the region. Siversk “remains under fire control of our troops,” according to the statement. “All measures are being taken to reduce the offensive potential of enemy parts and units.”

Several Connecticut towns also have Sister City Partnerships, relationships formed by the humanitarian nonprofit Ukraine Aid International. All are at risk. Recent analyses by the Institute for the Study of War report Russian forces advancing toward Lyman and Druzhkivka, sister cities respectively of Westport and Ridgefield.

The cities, like Siversk, are barriers to a Russian breach of Ukraine’s “fortress belt,” a 50-kilometer line of major centers that defend the small portion of the Donetsk Oblast (province) that is not already under Russian control. According to the ISW, seizure of the entire province is a long-held Russian objective.

Most recently, Weston donations to Ukraine Aid International, still needed, have focused on the well-being of Siversk’s children, who were dispersed to safer parts of the country. The donations help fund holiday gifts and camp retreats that give children respite and a chance to reconnect.

In pink on the map, Ukrainian territory controlled by Russia. In yellow, the portion of the Donetsk Oblast still held by Ukraine in early December, and the approximate position of Siversk. Adapted from an illustration by the Institute for the Study of War and American Enterprise Institute's Critical Threats Project.