Event with Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov was joined by Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, Jacek Jaśkowiak of Poznan, Poland, and Patrick Furey of Torrance
[New York, NY – March 10th, 2022] The American Jewish Congress hosted yesterday a virtual special event with Mayor Borys Filatov of Dnipro from the Ukrainian frontline. Joining from a safe shelter, with electricity going off several times during the hour-long conversation, Mayor Filatov painted a bleak picture about a growing humanitarian catastrophe. He emphasized the lack of defensive armaments, food, and medicine, and lamented the destruction of cell towers by Russian forces aiming to cut communications. At the same time, he raised the alarm about nuclear dangers.Moderated by American Jewish Congress President Jack Rosen, the event served to not only offer an overview of the situation on the ground, but also to discuss practical ways on how to assist the suffering Ukrainian people and provide relief. The event was joined by local leaders from around the world, including Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, Mayor Jacek Jaśkowiak of Poznan, Poland, and Mayor Patrick Furey of Torrance.
Mayor Jaśkowiak stated that Poznan is currently hosting about 3,000 Ukrainian refugees, but that his city has capacity to host overall about 40,000-50,000 refugees and he was ready to coordinate with Mayor Filatov and other leaders in Ukraine to materialize humanitarian support. Mayor Garcetti announced that Los Angeles is aiming to send to Ukraine tactical equipment and body armor from the city’s Police Department, tools that could help to protect Ukrainian fighters and civilians. Mayor Furey praised Mayor Filatov for his determination and emphasized the need for the U.S. Congress to take stronger action in support of Ukraine.
Following the conversation, President Jack Rosen stated: “I want to thank Mayor Filatov for sharing with us his time and perspective at a critical moment for his country. Many local leaders that we remain in touch with have expressed their readiness to assist in any possible way and we were happy to provide a platform to promote solidarity and to explore tangible ways in which we can assist local leaders in Ukraine. After all, they are close to all the people that are suffering at this moment, they are still leading their cities amidst this war. Humanitarian concerns take precedence over everything else right now and I want to reiterate that it is crucial to provide all possible sorts of support.”
You can watch the full briefing on our YouTube channel and below.
About the City of Dnipro
With a population of about one million people, Dnipro, is located in eastern Ukraine, about 243 miles southeast of the capital Kyiv, 120 miles southwest of Kharkiv, and just 50 miles away from Zaporizhzhia, where the largest nuclear plant in Europe is situated. This area also borders the Donbas region, where separatists have been pushing into Ukrainian-controlled territory.
