A delegation from Whitehorse’s newly-agreed-to Ukrainian sister city of Chortkiv is coming to the Yukon next week.

Chortkiv Mayor Volodymyr Shmatko will be arriving on Tuesday afternoon with Marta Hbulish, the chair of the local regional international relations department, and Dr. Serhii Budenkevych of the Ukrainian Health Service.

“It is a light in the sky at night for us to receive the first assistance and friendship of the people of the Yukon,” Shmatko said in a press release from the Ukrainian Canadian Association of Yukon announcing the visit.

The group has a week long trip planned that will include meetings with Mayor Laura Cabott and Premier Ranj Pillai, visits with local energy companies, a trip to the Carcross/Tagish First Nation and a gala fundraiser.

The association organized the trip as part of its effort to try to strengthen ties between the Yukon and Ukraine.

“The idea is to work to establish relationships of mutual benefit for both economic and cultural reasons,” said association president Jeff Sloychuk.

After a brief stay in Vancouver, the group is set to land in Whitehorse at about 4 p.m. next Tuesday.

According to the association’s press release, a welcome is planned at the airport that is to include association members, local firefighters, members of the RCMP, and representatives from the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council and the Kwanlin Dün First Nation.

The gala is planned for 7 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre.

The delegation and local officials will make remarks, with entertainment to include Ukrainian hip-hop dancers, live music, a silent auction and a borsht tasting bar.

Tickets for the event are $25 and will be available at the North End Gallery. Proceeds are to go to future aid deliveries to Ukraine.

City council approved the honourary sister city relationship last week.

City spokesperson Oshea Jephson said in an email to the Star today the city is finalizing plans for a meeting with council and a reception for the delegation.

“The city is excited to welcome a delegation from Chortkiv, Ukraine to Whitehorse and to celebrate Chortkiv as our newest sister city,” Jephson said.

“Both cities are committed to creating meaningful connections that deepen our understanding of each other’s communities.”

Whitehorse also has sister city relationships with Juneau, Alaska, Lancieux, France and Ushiku, Japan.

They are all honourary sister cities except Ushiku, which is considered an active relationship because it involves student exchanges.

For Shmatko, this is part of a broader effort to keep his country engaged with governments in Europe and North America. Sloychuk said Shmatko has already made trips to several European nations.

“This is really to reach out to the West,” Sloychuk said. “For a long time, Ukraine has been looking east.”

Ties between Whitehorse and Chortkiv began when Shmatko reached out to the City of Whitehorse in December 2022 to put the feelers out on establishing a direct relationship.

About a month later, Sloychuk was in the area on a trip delivering humanitarian from the Yukon and realized he was set to pass through Chortkiv.

He also has family ties to the area.

“Chortkiv is half an hour away from the birthplace of my great-grandfather,” Sloychuk said.

Chortkiv is about 490 kilometres from the capital Kiev, and according to Sloychuk, is about an eight- or nine-hour drive from the current front lines of the war with Russia.

It is slightly larger than Whitehorse, with a population of about 40,000, and is the capital of its local regional area.

Though Chortkiv is closer to Poland than Russia – the area was once part of Poland – they have still withstood missile attacks from Russia.

A major apartment complex was bombed last June and 32 people were wounded. Thankfully, this occurred on a holiday weekend when most people were out of their houses, so nobody was killed.

Sloychuk said the direct relationship he has established with Shmatko has helped get their aid deliveries safely to the front lines and evade any potential theft along the way.

“When we deliver or we send something over to him, he personally drives, delivers and photographs the items being documented and delivered,” Sloychuk said.

“So, there’s no risk of the risk of petty corruption, no risk of stuff being sold.”

Sloychuk is excited to now be able to welcome these new partners to the place where all this support is coming from.

“Chortkiv has been the most sincere and hospitable hosts for us on our missions into Ukraine. We cannot wait to show them where the solidarity springs from,” Sloychuk said in the association’s press release.