SANDY, Utah — As the war between Ukraine and Russia continues, a delegation from Ukraine came to Utah to visit local governments. The goal for the group is to learn about local governments in Utah’s cities and apply them to their towns back in Ukraine. Earlier this week, the group visited the Utah State Capitol and spoke with lawmakers.
The group is from a town just about five miles away from the front lines called Novovorontsovka. They partnered with forPeace, a nonprofit from Utah that works to help Ukraine. They started their visit on Tuesday in Sandy, taking a closer look at the parks and recreation department. They also spoke about developing sports programs.
One of the visitors, Novovorontsovka County Advisor Yulli Morozov, said it’s an inspiration to see how Utah is supportive to Ukraine. He said in his town, they’re trying to focus on the future and rebuilding their town.
“We will finish this war,” he said. “And we believe it won’t be a worse scenario for us. We believe in the victory of Ukraine. We will have a big task to renovate everything.”
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In 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and changed the lives of many, Morozov said. So now they’re looking to not only protect their citizens but create an enriching community, he said.
“They try to do some sports and cultural things in the middle of this war and they combined this with the renovation of destroyed buildings,” he said.
Josh Chandler, who helped organize the visit and also serves as the West Jordan City Attorney, said they showed the group local public utilities processes and recreational sports.
“It’s opportunity for people here in Utah to show their support for wonderful people who are going through really difficult things right now,” Chandler said.
The group will also visit West Jordan, North Salt Lake, Spanish Fork, Bountiful and Nephi throughout the week.
