By This humanitarian effort began when the Consul General of Ukraine called on the City of Sonoma and other municipalities for emergency vehicles to support Ukraine’s medical response The City of Sonoma answered this call by donating an ambulance set for retirement facilitated through the efforts of Sonoma Valley Fire District and the City of Sonoma and transported to Ukraine by the nonprofit organization “US Ambulances for Ukraine,” in partnership with “UA Resistance.” The SSCA Kaniv Committee raised funds to transport the ambulance whose dedicated campaign drew over $30,000 in donations from the Sonoma community This local support made the delivery possible and exemplified our community’s commitment to Kaniv and the people of Ukraine The SSCA remains dedicated to ongoing efforts for Kaniv and continues to raise funds to provide essential resources as Ukraine faces ongoing challenges For those who missed the ambulance’s original send-off this past June, you can view the press conference recording here: SonomaTV Press Conference Recording We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to this effort, from community donors to the many officials and volunteers who made this donation a reality. For more information or to join future support efforts, please contact the Sonoma Sister Cities Association or US Ambulances for Ukraine Subscribe to more lists > This content is for decoration only skip decoration The Sonoma Sister Cities Association’s Kaniv Committee’s efforts has launched Light in the Darkness commercial backup batteries for Kaniv schools The Sonoma Sister Cities Association’s Kaniv Committee’s efforts to provide large businesses and public buildings developed into a project this fall a project coordinated by the committee with help from the Rotary Club of Santa Rosa and Rotary Clubs of Cherkassy aims to address one of Kaniv’s most pressing needs When Kaniv Committee members realized that they raised $20,000 more money than they needed to obtain and send an ambulance (aka the “ambulance with wings”), full of supplies, to Kaniv this fall they asked their contacts in Ukraine what they needed most “They said that they are trying to purchase large backup batteries for the schools to keep them open during winter blackouts due to Russian missile attacks,” said Kaeti Bailie chair of the Sonoma Sister Cities Association’s Kaniv Committee The Rotary Club of Santa Rosa has been financing batteries for Cherkassy It is located about 30 miles south of Kaniv and also experiences blackouts due to the war has been purchasing batteries at bulk rate we asked Cherkassy Rotary if they could purchase some additional batteries for Kaniv at their discounted rate,” Bailie said “Our first donation will buy about six of the large They will be delivered to Kaniv next week.” She said the Kaniv Committee hopes to raise $15,000 so that Kaniv can be provided with four more batteries Donations can be made https://givebutter.com/4madOh or by sending a check payable to SSCA/Kaniv to SSCA/Kaniv All of the $35,000 raised for the ambulance project was donated by individuals The Kaniv Committee raised the money partly by sending out emails and holding fundraising events on Sonoma Plaza during two of Sonoma’s Tuesday Night Markets “It isn’t every day that you have the opportunity to save lives and our projects with Kaniv have taken on that dimension,” Bailie said and Russia is continually focusing its attacks on critical infrastructure — in other words Bailie said that Kaniv is in constant danger of being attacked by long-range missiles and drones is subjected to daily air raids and blackouts “Kaniv is located on the Dnieper River and has a hydroelectric plant which is under constant threat,” Bailie said the Ukrainian air defense system has successfully shot down all but one missile She said that the people of Kaniv are very thankful for the help that the Sonoma Sister Cities Association’s Kaniv Committee is providing “Not only has financial support for the ambulance medical supplies and clothing been helpful: The emotional support they get from knowing that people half a world away care about them gives them the kind of support that cannot be measured,” Bailie said “Maybe even more than the ambulance with wings it’s the friendship with wings that will prove to be the most lasting Reach the reporter, Dan Johnson, at daniel.johnson@sonomanews.com Watch as an ambulance filled with medical supplies sent to Ukraine by Sonoma Sister Cities Association’s Sonoma/Kaniv Committee arrives at Kaniv City Hospital on Nov An ambulance filled with medical supplies sent to Kaniv, Ukraine by Sonoma Sister Cities Association’s Sonoma/Kaniv Committee arrived at Kaniv City Hospital on Nov The 21-year-old ambulance was retired from service by the Sonoma Valley Fire Department and is in good condition (with new tires) The City of Sonoma gave it to the Sonoma Sister Cities Association’s Sonoma/Kaniv Committee It left Sonoma in August and arrived in Kaniv on Saturday involved many contributions from Sonoma County organizations and residents In addition to the ambulance being provided by the City of Sonoma, all the medical supplies in it were donated by various Sonoma County medical institutions, including Sonoma Valley Hospital Sonoma Sister Cities Association’s Sonoma/Kaniv Committee raised some $35,000 through online fundraising and public events to pay for the $12,000 shipping costs and to purchase large backup batteries for Kaniv schools and public buildings Home page » Topics » Nature Protection » Kaniv Nature Reserve the Kaniv Nature Reserve will celebrate its 100th anniversary One of the oldest nature reserves in Ukraine on the right bank and floodplain islands of the Dnipro It is home to dozens of rare species of birds and animals scientists Vitalii Hryshchenko and Yevheniia Yablonovska-Hryshchenko have been studying the local flora and fauna as well as the influence of the Kaniv Reservoir on the reserve’s ecosystem If you concentrate and close your eyes for a minute cormorants and white-tailed eagles creating the surrounding music together It seems that the forest makes visitors stop and look around there is a lot to see at Kaniv Nature Reserve Vitalii Hryshchenko has been working in the reserve for about 35 years he has seen hundreds of species of animals and plants Vitalii is an ornithologist — he studies birds and is engaged with their conservation He was interested in birds in his school years and his childhood hobby has grown into professional interest “There was a well-known zoologist Lev Kaplanov He was said to be a zoologist by nature and simply could not be anyone else I am the same: I can’t do anything else.” Yevheniia Yablonovska-Hryshchenko also specializes in birds although she studied microbiology and virology at university she betrayed germs during her practice at the reserve in the 2nd year Kaniv Nature Reserve is an object of biodiversity conservation: scientists conserve a variety of organisms from terrestrial and study changes in nature to maintain harmony across ecosystems The reserve has recently been granted an international status as an Important Bird Area and also has become part of the Emerald Network a list of areas of special conservation importance that are essential for the conservation of biodiversity in Europe The current area of the reserve is a little more than two thousand hectares and more than 50 species of mammals (including roe deer The reserve consists of three parts: the upland part on the hills of the right bank of the Dnipro; two floodplain islands — Kruhlyk and Shelestiv; and the Zmiyini Islands in the Kaniv Reservoir formed from the hills during the flooding of the reservoir in 1974-1976 The upland part of the reserve is often associated with Kaniv dislocations and is called Kaniv Mountains 250,000 or more people were killed during the Soviet troops’ crossing the Dnipro in the battle for the Bukryn bridgehead which was located about 50 km up the Dnipro from the reserve There is a monument dedicated to those tragic events on the territory of the reserve Sedimentary rocks in this part of the reserve are displaced by an extraordinary force — the older deep layers are turned upside down (that is why they are called dislocations) Scientists argue whether these are the effects of glacial or tectonic landslides Kaniv dislocations were studied by the main initiator of creating the reserve the landscapes of the reserve were different — bare (because of active deforestation) hills and ravines and longest ravines in Europe are located around Kaniv Then Riznychenko realized that the only way out was to restore and protect local forests He proposed to create a national park similar to what was being done in Western Europe and the United States which now conserves hundreds of species of animals many of which are listed as endangered species in the Red Book of Ukraine (including black stork Vitalii and Yevheniia never cease to be amazed by the forces of nature and are convinced that it is necessary to stop looking at things solely through the prism of an anthropocentric point of view “From the desert that was here in times of agricultural activities where there is a minimum of human influence and restoration of the environment begins.” with large colonies of cormorants and herons cormorants can be seen sitting on the dead top branches of trees This kind of leisure is the result of a biological peculiarity of cormorants: they do not have a uropygial gland which is responsible for the secretion of fat to lubricate the plumage and not get wet cormorants need to sit on trees or sandy banks with raised wings to dry their feathers — in a “heraldic pose” scientists conduct annual surveys to track the dynamics of the number of birds About two thousand pairs of cormorants can nest during the season Vitalii Hryshchenko says that a hundred years ago this island was located in a completely different place The islands constantly move: during the floods in the spring there are very rapid flows and while in one place they wash the bank away There is a whole system of internal bays (“currents”) Both the island and these bays resemble outstretched fingers there was a spit on which sand and silt were deposited that is why it has a special value: here we can see what it was like before the fluid dynamics and the processes are absolutely different.” Now the dynamics of the formation and displacement of islands has decreased These dams are called “blood clots” and the sand was washed away and accumulated back scientists consider the impact of the cascade of hydropower plants to be ambiguous the regular behaviour of the river has dramatically changed: fish cannot spawn and a strong discharge of water destroys sandy spits where various birds nest the ice on the Dnipro breaks in the winter leaving a fairly large Now this area is one of the main wintering places for aquatic birds in central Ukraine The expedition lands on an island teeming with cormorants and having a strong smell of their feces The captain measures the depth of the Dnipro near the bank He says the water is deeper near Kyiv or Pereyaslav He is worried about running aground and winding the grass from the bottom on the screw and the rudder blade He has not been here yet — he says that it is “just like a real expedition The scientist holds binoculars in one hand and a professional audio recorder in the other At first it is difficult to understand what attracts her so much The sounds of the forest are quite usual — the noise of trees and wind “A Eurasian blackcap!” She says that only this bird makes such a flute-like sound Yevheniia Yablonovska-Hryshchenko has been studying birds for over 20 years but their singing is of special value to her The finch is the main hero of her research can be heard from any part of the reserve’s forest The voices of the birds are recorded and listened to in order to relax and they are used as medicine for people with mental disorders Yevheniia makes records for a scientific purpose: it makes it easier to register birds “Watching birds is not an activity for those with weak nerves The woman says that even music school teachers are unable to distinguish finch songs by ear We know that the language of Ukrainians from Zakarpattia is very different from the language of The Hryshchenkos found out that the dialects of finches were formed twenty thousand years ago The formation of the dialect depends on many factors: the historical background and the environment (mountains Yevheniia says that the meaning of their songs is simple: “The idea is the following: get out of my territory Finches even have song competitions where they perform the same song to find out who the best singer is While at the beginning the songs are calm and melodic closer to the end birds almost shout at each other But Yevheniia says that a female can reject the loudest singer because there is a risk that he will be eaten: she looks for a calm and reliable male the hierarchy of birds is determined by singing The most talented singers that perform the most complex songs dominate And there are those who can perform only simple compositions To streamline the analysis of bird singing Yevheniia uses the division of birds by territory and number She records everything on an audio recorder Yevheniia processes these recordings in a laboratory on a computer and receives a sonogram The scientist analyzes the voices of birds not by ear but by the frequency distribution over time Records of birds are sometimes sent to the woman to help determine species this is where the real detective work begins,” says Yevheniia so she and Vitalii strive to create a national database of bird singing Why is it so important to study bird singing The couple says that these audio recordings can primarily be used as a proof of registration of a certain species it is important to have a national collection of records to know what species we have “The loss of a bird’s song is a loss of information forever It will be like a lost language — we can read what is written Yevheniia and Vitalii have an extremely large collection of records – seventeen thousand The most important thing is to be yourself because “you can’t make an eagle out of a crow or a duck out of an eagle.” Yevheniia adds that the singing of birds helps us learn to listen to the world around us you realize that they cannot feel the difference between a nightingale and a sparrow we have lost the ability to live in the world of sounds Then we will be able to better understand both nature and ourselves.” The main functions of the reserve are nature conservation geologists) come here to practice and live in student dormitories historians and archaeologists conducted excavations in the area and philologists studied folklore in the surrounding villages “We often tell children that the reserve is a place where nature lives the way it wants And we learn to coexist with what surrounds us.” Yevheniia says that now few people want to connect their lives with science but she believes that things will get better She wants to revive the romance of a scientist’s life that existed earlier — travelling far journeys — instead of focusing on money and status that is why it is extremely important to work not only with students but also with children — to create a positive image of science to foster eco-consciousness and caring for nature Yevheniia notes that it is important to engage with “gentle” education scientists seek to show that nature is a vulnerable and delicate structure “I can only teach to take an interest in nature I hope that this year I will be able to tell students what I am telling you I am very happy that I have such an opportunity The main destructive force that affects the reserve rocks and paleontological monuments are washed away — reservoirs actually destroyed the ancient Dnipro The revival of the initiative to create the Kaniv pumped hydroelectric energy storage plant frightens scientists: constant movement of water from the storage power plant can lead to even greater erosion of the mountains which got into the Dnipro and settled in the silt the PHES will lift this mass of radioactive substances is the washing away of large amounts of fertilizers from fields which causes outbreaks of blue-green algae Yevheniia is convinced that Ukraine should focus on its development not in the agricultural sector The only thing that makes me happy is that where reserves are created human influence is getting less significant.” In addition to the problem of the reservoir biologists are also “hurt” by poaching and chemicals The couple says that in the spring the security service of the reserve has a lot of work to do Poachers manage to get to the islands of Kruhlyk and Shelestiv and catch rare fish and birds synthetic fertilizers pollute the water so much that a tremendous amount of fish dies in the spring you could hear a quail from the ground the cry of a corncrake or the lark singing over the field And she mentions a book that once made a fuss which was approximately in the 50-60’s in Western Europe Much has changed in the reserve in twenty years there was a small island near the left bank of the Dnipro They run campaigns for preserving primroses educate people and teach the young generation of scientists compile their own collection of bird songs and maintain the Kaniv Reserve as one of the tourist destinations it is impossible to live without the wind in your hair so we do not want to lose this magical world We realized that if at least one person does not shoot an eagle Involved in the preparation of the material 23 volunteers Project support: Fundacja Euromaidan-Warszawa Use of materials is only permitted upon providing the source: Ukrainer.net Дизайн — Артем Зубкевич Розробка — Deluxcode The Sonoma Sister Cities Association’s Kaniv Committee plans to hold its Third Annual Vigil to commemorate the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine next week at the top of the horseshoe in front of Sonoma City Hall Everyone is invited to join in the vigil to show fondness and support for Kaniv The war in Ukraine began on Feb. 24, 2022, and since then the Sonoma Sister Cities Association has been actively increasing public awareness of the plight of Kaniv and raising funds that have been remitted to the citizens of Kaniv to repair major infrastructure projects Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The City of Sonoma would like to extend our congratulations to the Kaniv, Ukraine Committee of the Sonoma Sister Cities Association for their remarkable achievement in winning the 2023 Sister Cities International Innovation in Humanitarian Assistance award for communities with populations under 25,000. Bestowed by the Sister Cities International organization this prestigious recognition underscores the outstanding endeavors undertaken by the Sonoma Sister Cities in advancing the core objectives and ethos of Sister Cities International all while placing a focal point on the preservation of human rights Find a list of all award recipients on the Sister Cities International website The Russian missile attack killed 41 as of Tuesday and hit a children’s hospital The Sonoma Sister Cities Association (SSCA) has urged the City Council to send a letter of sympathy and support to its sister city Kaniv Ukrainian officials say that the missile attack, which Russia launched July 8, killed 41 people as of Tuesday and damaged a children’s hospital, according to Reuters the association did not have any updates from the City Council as to whether they would move forward with the letter of support “I am heartened every day by the strength and courage of the people of Ukraine,” Fine said of the situation “I get photos almost on a daily basis from our friends in Ukraine It’s hard to imagine that these people are going into bomb shelters multiple times a day.” Fine is in regular communication with her Ukrainian counterpart the president of the Kaniv Friendship Association and Kyiv University professor who has visited Sonoma three times since the start of the war There were many explosions in the air when they tried to destroy the rockets that were headed for Kyiv.” a town of more than 20,000 people before the war is located some 90 miles away from the capital of Kyiv It has been one of Sonoma’s seven sister cities since 1987 The Sonoma Sister Cities Association, which recently sent a retired ambulance filled with medical supplies to Kaniv has raised more than $150,000 for Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022 SSCA is working on getting a grant to purchase a large generator as backup for the critical hydroelectric plant The dam was hit by Russian fire once in the past and Kaniv officials worry it may be damaged again Fine also said that SSCA is working with the Santa Rosa Rotary Club to get independent generators for citizen warming stations to be used in the winter For those interested in learning more about the Sonoma Sister Cities Association and aiding in efforts to help Kaniv, visit https://sscasonoma.org/ You can reach Vince Basada at vince.basada@sonomanews.com was bombed by Russia’s military in late October The Sonoma Sister Cities Association created a fund for Kaniv residents to buy food “100% of monies received will go directly to our sister city to help the Ukrainians affected by the Russian invasion.” To donate to the fundraiser, go to givebutter.com/SisterCities_Kaniv Or you can write a check to Sonoma Sister Cities Association indicating "Ukraine" on the subject line and mail it to SSCA As the tide of war has shifted in Ukraine, Russian forces have began to target critical civilian infrastructure, including Sonoma’s sister city of Kaniv Letters from Anatoliy Leontyev, the president of the Kaniv/Ukraine Friendship Society, describe the toll of bombings on the city’s necessary infrastructure which has caused mandatory power shut-offs shuttered in-person schools and reduced windows for miles to shards of broken glass U.S. Ambassador Michael Carpenter announced Kaniv’s hydroelectric power plant was bombed by Russian Federation forces on Monday as part of a strategy to “inflict maximal pain and cruelty on Ukraine’s civilian population.” Leontyev’s letters describe life in a war zone under siege through nighttime air raids and on edge as the city rations its vital resources “I communicate a lot with students,” Leontyev wrote to the Sonoma Sister Cities Association “Most of them experienced fear of death and panic at the beginning of the war Now they have a picture of what is happening in their head And the values of patriotism and life prevailed.” Sonoma Sister Cities Association has donated approximately $100,000 to Kaniv which authorities have used for food and protective equipment But the current need is generators as the conflict enters winter’s cold months with reduced power supplies “We have introduced restrictions on the use of electricity Four hours with electricity and two hours without it,” Leontyev said in a letter to the Sister Sister Cities Association it is also necessary to organize work with students via the internet Since March, Russia has made Kaniv’s hydroelectric power plant a strategic objective in its efforts to seize Ukraine’s main power sources used by the citizen population “The war finally really touched Kaniv,” Leontyev wrote “Many missiles have successfully been shot down over Kaniv but within the last two weeks one of the cells of the hydroelectric plant was hit and destroyed by an incoming Russian missile.” Carpenter said Russian forces reportedly shot 50 missiles on 18 critical facilities on Oct 31 during Ukrainian’s morning rush hour across 10 regions in the country The bombing also targeted Kharkiv’s Combined Heat-and-Power Plant and Prydniprovska Thermal Power Plant these attacks “cut off power to 350,000 apartments and left 80% of the population without water forcing people to wait in long lines to draw water from old stone wells,” according to Carpenter At the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Oct. 12, U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, suggested the Russian Federation’s strikes on civilian infrastructure — like Kaniv’s hydroelectric power plant — violated international rules of war and rose to the level of war crimes “Russia has deliberately struck civilian infrastructure with the purpose of harming civilians,” Milley told NATO leaders in Brussels Approximately 4,000 internal Ukrainian refugees have coalesced in Kaniv “who are either passing through to safer ground or staying in Kaniv because they have lost their homes,” said Kaeti Bailie “As winter approaches the town is in great need of generators and large 20 person tents to house the refugees,” Bailie said Leontyev visited the hydroelectric plant days after the bombing The director of the power plant called him later The shock wave of the blast broke windows around the plant and Leontyev was recruited to help in their repair Yet even in war — with shellings and scarcity and struggle — there are still moments to celebrate life’s simple pleasures for Leontyev this is a real Beaujolais Nouveau,” Leontyev said Contact Chase Hunter at chase.hunter@sonomanews.com and follow @Chase_HunterB on Twitter The funky event will raise money for Kaniv The Sonoma Sister Cities Association’s Kaniv Committee will host a fundraiser event with a unique auction item to benefit the war effort in Sonoma’s Ukrainian sister city The event offers a night out at the historic El Verano Inn with live music from ZigZag drinks and an auction for a 1988 Sister Cities poster signed by the acclaimed artist Stanley Mouse who is famous for his ‘60s era rock ‘n’ roll posters of the Grateful Dead and other bands that performed at the Fillmore in San Francisco The committee is throwing the funky event to raise more money for Kaniv, Sonoma’s Ukrainian sister city. Before war broke out in the country earlier this year the relationship between the cities was focused primarily on friendship the conversations are centered around how the committee can help the aid the besieged country in its war effort the organization has already raised approximately $90,000 in relief efforts since Russian troops invaded the country in February The committee was originally wiring money directly to the city’s local government it’s been transferring the funds to the Kaniv/Ukraine Friendship Society an organization that works directly with the city “We’ve has incredible support from the Rotary (Club) and other local organizations,” Bailie said “We know it’s a really generous local community and we really appreciate that.” Former Mayor Larry Murphy founded the group back in 1985 as the Sonoma Action for Nuclear Disarmament while it was still a republic of the Soviet Union The local effort officially aligned itself with Sister Cities International a global organization that forges relationships between participating cities in 1987 when Bailie traveled to Kaniv with the official delegation papers Bailie traveled to Kaniv a total of three times and was involved when it launched its student exchange program When the committee established an official relationship with Kaniv in the ‘80s its members welcomed 12 teenagers from three different Ukrainian cities to Sonoma Sonoma native Jessica Fudim was 16 when she spent two weeks in Kaniv at a Soviet pioneer camp “I think that programs like Sister Cities are so important because they provide rich opportunities for building empathy Learning about others creates connection and it can dismantle preconceived notions,“ Fudim said “I will always be grateful for the opportunity I had to travel to Kaniv as a teenager and I continue to hold in my heart the many Fudim still keeps in touch with a boy she met while she was at a museum in the sister city He moved to Sonoma for few years in the ‘90s and worked for her father’s company before returning to Ukraine Fudim feels that her connections through her trip to Kaniv have given her a deeper perspective on the war She raised $940 for relief efforts through a series of pilates classes that she held over Zoom through her company we feel compelled to care for our family or our friends,” Fudim said they’re talking about places I’ve been to,” Erin Hill Freschi Fudim’s roommate during the exchange program The committee and people who have been associated with it have felt the need to do more to help Ukraine in its war effort because of personal connections Anatoliy Leontyev, President of Kaniv/Ukraine Friendship Society, visited Sonoma in August and had been keeping in touch with Bailie since He has worked with mother’s of the men in Kaniv’s militia to find what they need the committee was able to send drones and sleeping bags to help the militia The committee aims to provide more relief to Kaniv through its fundraiser on Tuesday Tickets: The cost of attendance is $65 for members and $75 for non-members and include: – A catered dinner from Jacob’s Restaurant with a choice of chicken piccata or pasta Pprimavera a local band known for their electric song styling Those interested in attending can purchase the tickets on the Kaniv committee’s page on the Sonoma Sister Cities Association website and the winner does not have to be present to claim the poster Donations: All proceeds from the event will be transferred to the Kaniv/Ukraine Friendship Society Any questions about the event can be directed to Kaeti Bailie by calling 707-294-7388 or sendign her an email at kaeti@artifaxsonoma.com Contact the reporter Rebecca Wolff at rebecca.wolff@sonomanews.com. The longtime Sonoma Valley resident was honored for her work supporting Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia environmental activist and open-water swimmer as Sonoma County’s Woman of the Year for her work to bring humanitarian aid to residents Sonoma’s sister city “I’m surprised and grateful — it’s a great honor and as you know it takes a village and the amazing people on the Kaniv sister cities team deserve this as much as me,” Bailie wrote in an email to the Index-Tribune has helped the organization raise over $125,000 in relief efforts since Russian troops invaded the country in February 2022 The funds benefit the Kaniv/Ukraine Friendship Society forcing mandatory electricity conservation such as power shut-offs “Kaeti has been a true ambassador for Sonoma who has devoted countless hours to this important work with her community’s sister city in Ukraine,” Sen “At a time when the people of Kaniv needed it most Kaeti has led significant fundraising efforts that generated money for food clothing and help repair damaged infrastructure She’s made a huge difference and I am proud to recognize her for her achievement.” Bailie moved to Sonoma from Southern California in 1972 to teach art at the former Sonoma State Hospital (which became Sonoma Developmental Center) She had previously attended San Francisco State University and San Francisco Art Institute She raised three children in the community and was active in the early anti-nuclear and environmental movements earning a “woman peacemaker” award from the then U.S Bailie also formerly owned Artifax Art-to-Wear “The actions of Patriarch Bartholomew have de facto led to a schism in world Orthodoxy,” the metropolitan of Cherkasy and Kaniv Theodosius a bishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate stated in an interview with the A Bishop’s Word TV programme on the UkrLIve TV channel.The metropolitan also noted that the primate of the Church of Constantinople had already become fully aware of his tactical error in granting the tomos of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine but cannot admit to doing so as it would harm his authority “Patriarch Bartholomew has long realized that he has committed a grave error – a tactical error I think that he believes that he has acted correctly from the strategic perspective This is what the Church of Constantinople believes in direct contradiction to the ecclesiastical tradition of interpreting the canons,” the bishop remarked.The metropolitan did note that someone who has realized that he has committed an error is not always willing to admit it.“This is what we can see happening to Patriarch Bartholomew he continues to insist that black is white and vice versa even though the entire Orthodox world knows that no unification took place and could not take place for the simple reason that the largest religious denomination in Ukraine which is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and which undoubtedly makes up the majority of the Orthodox faithful in Ukraine took no part whatsoever in their so-called unification council (of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine),” said the metropolitan.According to metropolitan Theodosius “different branches of the schism united among themselves and all of a sudden are declared by Patriarch Bartholomew to occupy the place of the true Church.”“A fake has taken the place of the genuine Church which has historically existed here for more than a thousand years How Patriarch Bartholomew viewed the situation from the window of his residence in the Phanar is markedly different from the way we view the situation which we feel and understand here in Ukraine in real church life I will say again that Patriarch Bartholomew has long realized that he has committed a tactical error but cannot admit to doing so in order not to lose his authority unfortunately,” said the metropolitan of Cherkasy and Kaniv DECR Communication Service/Patriarchia.ru Sonoma County is the only place in the United States with three different Ukrainian sister cities The oldest and strongest sister city organization in Sonoma County is the Sonoma Sister Cities Association founded in 1975 The city began an arrangement for a sister city with the Ukrainian town of Kaniv located in central Ukraine in 1986 For over 35 years there have been citizen diplomacy exchanges and visits going on between residents of Sonoma County and some residents of Ukraine coming and going back and forth to visit each other’s lands and hometowns 2022 Sonoma welcomed The Ukrainian Consul General for California to the Sonoma City Hall for a noon time reception where he spoke to a crowd of local residents It was reported Dmytro Kushneruk the Consul General was given a key to the city as recognition of the 35-year bond between the cities More information about the Sonoma sister city relationships for local citizen diplomacy can be found at the website https://sonomasistercitiesassociation.org/ There is currently much in the news about the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24 This article focuses on citizen diplomacy efforts underway for decades between Sonoma County residents and Ukrainians by way of Sister City International organizations Before describing the other two Ukrainian sister city relationships in Sonoma County here is a brief description of what these arrangements entail helped to establish a small Woman’s Center in an apartment in central Cherkasy She made numerous visits into Cherkasy and made a film about how the women of Cherkasy were adjusting to the freedoms afforded them after independence was declare from the USSR The city does not have a website for the program Sebastopol has an agreement with Chyhyryn, Ukraine working through the group Sebastopol World Friends with a guiding principle of “World Peace, One Friend at a Time.” Information at https://sebastopolwf.org/ All three groups will be reaching out to help Ukraine more in the future Duane Dewitt grew up in Roseland and is a tireless advocate for Roseland community. Email Duane at dewittstory@yahoo.com Home page » Topics » Water » Preserve memory of sunken villages There are many villages and cities under Dnipro waters today This is due to the construction of cascades of hydroelectric power plants (HPP) and reservoirs on the Dnipro river in the second half of the 20th century Dozens of villages were sunk to build the last plant previously situated to the south of Pereyaslav is looking to preserve the memory of its motherland historical sites and important places of Ukrainian history were sunk alongside the building of the Kaniv reservoir Active citizens of the sunken villages caused by HPP created an NGO “Old Dnipro” which collects historical information and stories of witnesses publishes books and organises cultural events one of them being yearly “Dnipro roaring” swim While looking for better electricity supply and shipping in the Soviet Union the authorities decided to build a cascade of hydroelectric power plants and reservoirs on the Dnipro river They began building an HPP on Dnister (also read about sunken Podil village Bakota) This triggered multiple Ukrainian villages to disappear Changes in the hydrological regime in the Dnipro caused a slowdown in water exchange and the pace of the river’s self-purification Because of the lack of fish culverts in the Dnipro basin valuable fish species are about to become extinct one of the six major reservoirs on the Dnipro It stretches for 160 kilometres and only within the Pereyaslav region including ten villages near Pereyaslav: Andrushi and some of them were considered unpromising and they were deprived of budget allocations for culture Due to the planned flooding of the villages all residents had to be forcibly evacuated and their homes and local architectural monuments demolished The villagers reacted differently to the relocation: some were happy to move to more modern homes with electricity and other amenities while others saw no advantage in leaving their homeland The evacuation of the villagers took place regardless of their wishes so there were no residents left in the villages once the flood began The resettlement process lasted several years Some families moved to neighbouring or newly formed villages People moved to neighbouring villages or to their relatives in other regions A resident of the flooded village of Zarubyntsi and our sister took us to the Ivanivka village (between Uman and Kropyvnytskyi — ed.) But neither my grandmother nor my mother nor we And we lived in Zarubyntsi for another year Zarubyntsi stands on the right bank of the Dnipro: one part of the village is in the valley After the flood and evacuation announcement the locals asked the authorities to relocate a part of the valley’s inhabitants to the hill and thus save the village but did not receive permission Residents of Zarubyntsi gather every year to meet the rest of the village walk through the village’s unsunken part they’re not their homes anymore — only a place to visit The authorities of that period assessed the homes of the villagers on their own and paid funds that were not enough to buy or build new houses says there was little support from the state and often it was focused only on certain benefits for individual migrants: whoever was building by themselves did so with difficulties those for whom the state helped and the people who worked on kolhosps had benefits the state started ongoing felling and removal of trees earthen fortresses and houses of the local population: some were demolished before the flood Most churches were destroyed so that their bell towers would not interfere with ships sailing there some significant events of the Cossack era took place Taras Shevchenko loved to visit these lands: he sketched local landscapes and described the area in his poems Residents of Viunyshche village say that this is where Shevchenko began writing his “Zapovit” today we can see local landscapes and architectural monuments destroyed or flooded during the construction of the Kaniv HPP “Shevchenko was fascinated by the beauty of nature which was at that time in these villages: in Viunyshche Remember how he wrote about Andrushi: ‘There will be no better paradise in another world than those Andrushi’ (from a letter to a friend and doctor A It’s no coincidence; he was fascinated by it all.” The beauty of the landscapes and architecture of these Dnipro villages impressed not only Taras Shevchenko Well-known Ukrainian directors came here to shoot scenes for their films Here they shot the wedding for the movie “Bread and Salt” based on the novel by Mykhailo Stelmakh “Merry Frogs” by Viktor Ivanov and the miniseries directed by Mykola Mashchenko “How the Steel Was Tempered” Some of the churches depicted by Taras Shevchenko are now located in the Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of the Middle Naddniprianshchyna At the request of communities before the floods in 1971-1972 several examples of local architecture were transported here There are now several houses in the open-air museum with a povitka (a room for cattle and stock) and sazh (a place for fattening pigs It is the only museum of space in a church in the world The Open Air Museum has organised meetings of residents of the sunken villages of the Pereyaslav region since 2010 on the temple holiday Migrants from all over Ukraine came to these meetings The organisers of the museum planned to make these meetings recurrent and to organise a communication centre for the people from flooded villages “So that future generations would come to the museum and see how these meetings took place and learn from eyewitnesses what migrants from the flood zone of the Kaniv Reservoir are and then it somehow subsided all by itself.” only some of the monuments from the flooded villages have been preserved the church in Kozyntsi) were either destroyed or ended up underwater The church of the Holy Prophet Illia in Tsyibli remains unsunken The ruins of the church are open for visits which are now housed in the Museum of Folk Life in Pereyaslav It’s an opportunity to see examples of local architecture of the time To preserve the memory of the sunken villages of the Pereyaslav region As all information concerning flooding and resettlement has been unavailable for a long time Ukrainians know very little about the history of these villages the organisation’s members try to gather as many facts and materials as possible to reproduce and preserve the history of the villages that went underwater Members of the NGO “Old Dnipro” collect materials and publish books with memories of flood witnesses and their stories and photos the “Old Dnipro” group has presented a book about one of the villages annually The organization’s team includes journalist Mykola Konovych the participant of the Kaniv HPP construction Vitalii Ivashchenko the expert of the GIS Association of Ukraine Oleksandr Melnyk organizer and regular participant of the annual swim in memory of underwater villages “Dnipro Roaring” Anatolii Bryk and Deputy Chairman of the NGO “Old Dnipro” Oleksandr Sulima Mykola Konovych says that he was invited to the team as the author of books about sunken villages: The second book was about the flooded Pidsinne I acted as an author-compiler: I took those materials And since the relations with Trakhtemyriv remained very close I am acting here as an author because it went through my soul the NGO “Old Dnipro” members jointly developed a map of the area which went underwater and marked flooded architectural and natural monuments and the sites of important historical events This map will be used for tours through flooded villages on the Dnipro later The organization’s members plan to move the map of sunken villages into virtual reality and organize virtual trips so that everyone can see what these lands looked like before the flood They have already conducted an aerial photoshoot from a drone to implement this idea They plan to “revive” usual tours on the Dnipro with augmented reality tells us how the future tours through flooded villages will look like: “I want to be able to virtually fly to this flooded area and see these sunken villages go to the church in Viunyshche or the church in Andrushi One of the most significant projects of the NGO “Old Dnipro” is the annual “Dnipro Roaring” swim It is a sport and cultural event designed to draw attention to the sunken villages of the Pereyaslav region The Activists of “Old Dnipro” have organized a swim and developed a route annually since 2016 together with the public initiative “Root of the Nation” The event combines two programs: the actual swim and the “land” part where the team presents new books about flooded villages An obligatory element of the cultural program is the performance of one of the former inhabitants of the flooded villages the guests were natives of Viunyshche Ivan Shpytal historian and author of the three-volume “Ukraine in front of God and the world” and author of the book “Sunken villages of Pereyaslav region” Mykola Chyrkov the swimmers cover a distance of 3 kilometres crossing the Dnipro and swim over the place where once were villages Everyone who wants to discover the region and get acquainted with its history joins the swim Professional swimmers are invited to try the distance of 10 kilometres tells about the purpose and plan of the event “The “Dnipro Roaring” swim is not just a swim; it is something more It is a patriotic upbringing; it is an act of history preservation; and it promotes a healthy lifestyle It attracts attention and unites amateurs and activists of any age around it.” The “Dnipro Roaring” swim began with bike rides organized by Mykola Bohatyr in 2012-2013 took a camera with him and took photos of historical and cultural monuments around Pereyaslav and in 2014 Mykola and like-minded people founded the public initiative “Root of the Nation” cycling trips turned into bicycle expeditions They combined several of Mykola’s passions: cycling history and preservation of cultural monuments Mykola and his team rediscovered exciting places in the Pereyaslav region and developed a considerable archival base to create tourist routes as well as cultural and environmental events You see a century-old tree that could be one of the tourist attractions in the future It has a fascinating history; it needs to be preserved You start exploring around this tree — you see something more Among the objects that Mykola and his team are rediscovering for Ukrainians are springs century-old trees and architectural monuments of the late 19th and early 20th centuries The initiative participants pay a lot of attention to is the century-old trees have survived only in the form of museum specimens there are a large number of trees that are related to some prominent Ukrainian figures But we managed to get a cut of this tree through partners Mykola joined a local amateur triathlon team and set a personal goal: cross the Dnipro This goal then turned into the idea of the swim “Dnipro Roaring” The swim organizers are happy that every year the event gathers plenty of people willing to cross the Dnipro and learn the history of sunken villages and consists of regular participants The organizers plan to collect all the events into the book “Stories of the Dnipro Roaring” They also hope to present “Fragments of trees of prominent Ukrainians” at the Museum of Folk Architecture in Pereyaslav Mykola Bohatyr says that there is still a lot of inspiration projects and plans because he wants to talk about this region as much as possible And as long as the memory of the former inhabitants of the flooded villages is alive it should be integrated into Ukrainian history “The preservation of the memory of sunken villages is a matter of honour for every Ukrainian when it comes to the territories that took part in the process of state formation from ancient times to the present The Cossack subject here is quite widely known the previously mentioned Trakhtemyriv as a location of the Cossacks Shevchenko is also central to the terittory.” Involved in the preparation of the material 22 volunteers Locals reach out to longtime sister city Kaniv in wake of ‘unforgivable’ Russian invasion “Shocked” and “greatly saddened” is how Sonoma city officials described themselves this week in a letter to the mayor of the Ukrainian city of Kaniv one of seven “sister cities” to the City of Sonoma The letter was sent Friday in response to the Feb a siege condemned by governments across the globe and resulting in unprecedented economic sanctions levied against Russia by the European Union The letter was sent via email to Ihor Ren’kas a city of about 29,000 residents on the banks of the Dnieper River about 90 miles southeast of the capital city of Kyiv Kaniv has been a “Sister City” to Sonoma since Kaeti Bailie pushed for the Cold War partnership in 1987 signed by Sonoma Mayor Jack Ding and Sonoma Sister Cities Association President Diana Short calls the attack on Ukraine “absolutely unacceptable.” “The loss of life and the attempted destruction of your free and democratic society is unforgivable,” states the letter we see the heroism and bravery demonstrated by your leaders and ordinary citizens alike We feel helpless in watching the unprovoked attacks on your country extending the hand of friendship in offering whatever support we are able to provide.” there were no reports of any military action in Kaniv Short said they’re hoping to hear back from Mayor Ren’kas about how Sonomans can best help the city “We’ll give it a couple of days,” she said noting that they don’t know for sure if the email ever reached Ren’kas Sonoma and Kaniv entered into their sister-city relationship in 1987, when Ukraine was still a part of the Soviet Union. According to the agreement signed between the cities at the time, the move to “strengthen ties” was prompted by the desire to contribute “to the cause of peace, disarmament and mutual understanding between nations.” Short said sister-city relationships are typically established with cities that share a commonality. “Kaniv is a tourist destination” like Sonoma, said Short. Founded in the 11th century, the city is best known as the burial place of Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, considered the father of modern Ukrainian literature. She said Kaniv sent a delegation to visit Sonoma in 1988 and Sonoma sent a return delegation to Kaniv the following year. Sonoma resident Cathie Sperring was part of that initial Sonoma delegation and recalled that establishing a connection to the Soviet-bloc country was part of “an effort to create a more peaceful world.” “It was during the time, much like now, when the global fear of a possible nuclear holocaust was felt by many around the world,” Sperring said. The trip included stays in Moscow and St. Petersburg before concluding in Kaniv, where the sister-city process was formalized. “Many of us who have known this beautiful connection to our sister city in Ukraine are feeling a very strong reaction to the news happening there,” said Sperring. Additional delegations were exchanged over the years, added Sperring, including student groups. However, due to the unrest caused by Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, Sonoma eventually lost connection with its sister-city partners in Kaniv and, since then, the Sonoma-Kaniv Sister City Committee has been largely inactive, said Short. Until now. Like much of the world, the events of the past week have spurred Sonoma to action on behalf of its sister city and Ukraine, as the nation faces the greatest threat to its sovereignty since the Cold War. Over the weekend, dozens of Sonoma residents took part in demonstrations in front of City Hall in shows of support for Ukraine, with participants waving signs denouncing the attack and calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his aggressions over what is largely seen as a move to seize control of the increasingly Western-friendly former Soviet republic. Among the rallying cries on signage were: “Nyet to Putin”; “Peace for Ukraine”; and “Zelensky = Hero, Putin = Zero” in reference to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s vow to remain in Kiev and fight the Russian onslaught. El Verano resident Rhonda Bonecutter helped initiate rallies Friday evening and Sunday afternoon on the Plaza in an effort, she said, “to show that we stand with the brave Russians going into the streets of Russia to protest Putin’s invasion.” “The response was very positive,” Bonecutter said in an email to the Index-Tribune, with the Sunday rally drawing around two dozen demonstrators and a “steady stream of cars” honking in support. She said some local Ukrainians participated, and others stopped to “warmly expressed their gratefulness for the initiative and their concern for their country’s situation.” She’s planning another rally in front of City Hall on Friday, March 4, at 5 p.m. Meanwhile, the Sister Cities is regularly updating its website in the hopes of serving as a “centralized spot” for Sonomans to find the latest information on the plights of Kaniv and Ukraine, said Short. “We’re trying to fill the need (for information) and participate as much as we can,” Short said. “We want them to know we’re here for them.” Sherri Ferris, chief of protocol for the Sister Cities, said the Ukraine flag will be flying over Sonoma City Hall all this week “to salute the bravery and the sacrifices made by the Ukrainian people and to demonstrate our sister-city solidarity and support for Kaniv.” Added Ferris: “After all, Sonoma is a community who cares about others who may need our friendship and help during a difficult time.” Email Jason Walsh at Jason.walsh@sonomanews.com.