A Meeting of Sister Cities: Former and current Mayors of Irpin ask Milwaukee’s business community for help

Reports from Ukraine: This feature is part of an original Milwaukee Independent editorial series that recorded news from cities across Ukraine, including Milwaukee's sister city of Irpin, in May 2022. It was the first and, at that time, only news organization in Wisconsin that traveled to the country since it was invaded. The purpose of this journalism project was to document personal stories and events that detailed or showed the conditions of the war at that time, and their connections to Milwaukee. mkeind.com/reportsfromukraine

Leaders from Milwaukee’s Sister City of Irpin made a special visit on May 30, in an effort to secure assistance from Mayor Cavalier Johnson and financial support from the business community to help rebuild their demolished city.

Former Mayor Volodymyr Karplyuk and current Mayor Oleksandr Markushin met with Mayor Johnson in person for the first time. At the start of the Russian invasion, the two leaders connected via a Zoom call. Mayor Johnson remembered his shock at seeing his counterpart wearing body armor for the chat, as Mayor Markushin had just returned from the frontlines.

> Read: Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson speaks with Mayor of Irpin as Milwaukee’s sister city faces brutal attack

After the breakfast meeting both Mayors held a joint press conference, calling on the Milwaukee business community to help its Sister City. During the siege and partial occupation, Russian forces systematically targeted Irpin’s civilian population. The tactic would become the playbook of the invasion force, committing war crimes to compensate for the lack of military capability.

For the past several weeks, Irpin has restored public utilities like electricity and water. While residents have been asked not to return yet until areas were declared safe and the local government had enough resources in place to offer aid, thousands of people were still returning home. In many cases, their houses or residential buildings have been destroyed and their possessions looted.

Mayor Markushin and his administration have address the short term need for shelter, but permanent housing solutions require more time. With Irpin relatively safe now that the Russian dictator has refocused his attacks in Ukraine’s east, residents are trying to find a sense of normality.

Which was why the delegation from Irpin came to its Sister City. Schools will start again in September, and those institutions were specifically targeted in Russia’s campaign of brutality. Constant shelling and mortar fire left most of the city’s schools in ruins. Irpin needed help to repair its educational infrastructure, as well as public services. Mayor Markushin came to Milwaukee asking for support.

“We came to Milwaukee to extend our request for help, so that the children of Irpin can return to schools in September. We need to rebuild the schools, kindergartens, communication systems, and critical infrastructure for citizens to feel normal again. This is all needed right now,” said Mayor Markushin. “So we are asking the residents of our Sister city, and the business community, to help in any way they can.”

The Russian drive to capture the capital city of Kyiv was halted in Irpin, thanks in large part to Mayor Markushin’s leadership. He remained in Irpin to command the city’s Territorial Guard. But while the invaders failed in their goal of seizing all of Ukraine and were ultimately forced to make a humiliating retreat in early April, a wasteland of destruction was left in their wake.

“As many folks know, the City of Milwaukee has had a long standing Sister Cities relationship with Irpin, which is just outside of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv,” said Mayor Johnson. “Irpin sustained serious damage from many consecutive days of fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces. So now that we’ve gotten to this point in the conflict, the city of Irpin is at a spot where they can work to rebuild and replace their critical infrastructure.”

Mayor Johnson said that Irpin was working hard to make sure that families could send their children back to school in September. And that Mayor Markushin had traveled across the ocean, from Ukraine to its sister city of Milwaukee, with a simple ask.

“And the ask is for folks in Milwaukee to support our friends in Irpin, to make sure they can get their critical infrastructure back up and running. So they can get back to normal life in that city, and so that they can send their children to school. And I know that’s very important, as we look to the new school year for kids here in Milwaukee,” added Mayor Johnson. “Our friends in Irpin fought our enemies and felt the brunt of the war. Now we have an opportunity to show them our thanks by extending some much needed assistance.”

On March 15, 2018, then mayor of Milwaukee Tom Barrett signed an agreement with Irpin’s then Mayor Karplyuk, formalizing the Sister City relationship. Under Mayor Johnson, the City of Milwaukee was in the process of creating an account for the public to make contributions, so the funds could be transferred at a municipal level. None of the funding would come from the city budget, so Irpin would be counting on private donations.

The delegation from Irpin only had a day to spend in Milwaukee. After the meeting with Mayor Johnson, they visited sites around the city that had been developed since their previous 2018 visit. That included a stop to the Fiserv Forum.

Because May 30 was Memorial Day, many of the sites around Milwaukee were closed for the holiday. But the delegation was able to tour the historic Pabst Mansion. Mayor Markushin was an avid hunter, like Pabst, and made a connection with things like a painting of the Beer Baron’s hunting dog.

While the leaders were interested in learning new methods from Milwaukee that could be applied in Irpin, the former home of Frederick Pabst offered an important lesson. Russian troops had destroyed Irpin’s cultural center, and the Pabst Mansion nearly met the wrecking ball like so many of Milwaukee’s lost landmarks.

The experience with the uniquely Milwaukee venue served as a reminder of the value of preserving a community’s historical culture.

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