The scientist also points to various forms of solidarity between the cities: direct humanitarian aid, political support, establishing new relations, breaking agreements with Russians and Belarusians, bilateral meetings or organising demonstrations. In many cases, the self-government administration organised aid activities much more efficiently than, for example, the provincial governor, representative of the central authority. This shows the strength of Polish local governments, which are strongly connected to local communities and can react quickly to what is happening in those communities.
The multifaceted role of cities in the Russo-Ukrainian war
In Ukraine, cities are the main targets of attacks. Let's look at the troop movements during this war and the objectives that the Russian and Ukrainian sides have set for themselves. The Russians are measuring the progress of the operation by the cities they have occupied, while the Ukrainian side is defending them most stubbornly by abandoning other areas.
Cities are also victims of this war. They are where the most damage is done, where the most people are killed. They are the ones under siege. The humanitarian situation is also most severe there. When President Zelenski spoke at the US Congress, the footage was dominated by messages from the cities.
In addition, European cities are getting involved in providing aid to centres in Ukraine by offering direct humanitarian assistance.
The enormous power of partnerships
Natalia Matiaszczyk, a doctoral student from the Faculty of International and Political Studies at the University of Lodz conducted survey studies among 56 Ukrainian cities with over 50,000 inhabitants (obtaining a high return rate – as high as 67 per cent), which showed that there has been a massive increase in the number of partnerships between European and Ukrainian cities (60 new ones plus 22 planned, under negotiation, during this year).
Most partnerships have been established with German cities (13 new and 8 planned ones), followed by French cities (8 new, 2 planned ones), Polish cities (7 new, 2 planned ones) and American ones (6 new, 2 planned ones). Most local governments provide humanitarian and financial assistance to partners in Ukraine.
Polish cities have sought to involve their other partners in fundraising for Ukraine. Jelenia Góra, for example, sent an enquiry on the matter to all its befriended cities, and aid was donated to the Ukrainians by, for example, China's Changzhon (200 first aid kits).
Another form of assistance from the level of the cities was welcoming Ukrainian citizens protecting themselves from the warfare in Poland. Our cities have become safe havens for them. However, with the influx of refugees, the dynamics of life have changed in these cities, the population has grown, the organisation of schools, health care has become an issue. There were questions about how to get work for these people, where they should live. Interestingly, refugees from Ukraine were most likely to choose large centres – Warsaw or Krakow, although there are also smaller cities ready to welcome them. Ukrainians were hoping for better job opportunities in the capital. Therefore, large cities are like a magnet for them.
War as a political opportunity for mayors
We investigated the activity of Polish city mayors after Russian aggression, between 24 February and 30 April. It turns out that, above all, they were then meeting the mayors of other foreign cities, as well as diplomats or EU representatives (research by Adam Szymański, a student of the faculty). One could see the enormous activity of the mayors in terms of the number of meetings with foreign partners in the first two months after the start of the war. The mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski was the most active, but it is also worth highlighting the major role played by Rzeszów and its mayor, Konrad Fijołek, during this period.
It also provides an interesting political thread – the war became an opportunity for local government officials to build their position. In Poland, this was best illustrated by Warsaw. Social networks during this hectic period were full of photos, videos and statements by the use of which Mayor Trzaskowski was building his position, perhaps also with a view to a career in national politics. The war is also a political opportunity for mayors to build their image in the eyes of citizens.
Support from the level of states – a huge role of Poland
According to data from Kiel University – if we take the size of the involvement in aid to Ukraine in relation to the size of the country, Poland comes out best and relatively allocates the most, with 0.6 of Poland's GDP for this purpose. Other countries: USA – 0.4 GDP. UK – 0.3 GDP. Germany – 0.2 GDP. Looking at absolute numbers – the United States is by far the largest donor of aid (including the military one), while the EU institutions (and individual countries of the Union) show relatively little military aid, but very significant financial aid (€30 billion over the past year).
This financial support is crucial for the Ukrainian state. At the moment, Ukraine spends half of its budget on war. The International Monetary Fund estimated that in 2023 it would need around $5 billion a month to be able to function relatively normally and defend itself against aggression at the same time. Securing these funds is a mammoth financial challenge for the entire Western world, particularly the United States and European countries.
Source: Prof. Tomasz Kamiński, Faculty of International and Political Studies, University of Lodz
Edit: Iwona Ptaszek-Zielińska, Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz
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