Tallinn was awarded the “Rescuer City” honorary distinction by the President of Ukraine at the IV International Summit of Cities and Regions held in Kyiv. The distinction was received by the Chairman of the Tallinn City Council, Mihhail Kõlvart, who served as Mayor of Tallinn from 2019 to 2024.
The summit “Partnership. Resilience. Readiness” took place in Kyiv on 25–26 May and brought together representatives of cities and regions from 24 countries. The “Rescuer City” honorary distinction, presented by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, recognises Tallinn’s consistent solidarity, humanitarian aid and support to the Ukrainian state and its people since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale aggression.
Less than a week after the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression, on 2 March 2022, Estonia’s first 24/7 reception centre for Ukrainian war refugees was opened in Tallinn. In April 2022, the City of Tallinn opened a school for Ukrainian refugee children.
Between 2022 and 2024, essential goods, food aid, computers, buses and generators were sent to Lviv, Odesa, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Kherson and other municipalities. Tallinn donated ambulances and medical equipment to Ukraine in both 2022 and 2024. In addition, each year Tallinn offers Ukrainian children the opportunity to take part in summer camps.
In 2025, the Tallinn Ukraine Programme was launched as part of the city’s international strategy. Under the programme, Tallinn cooperates with Ukrainian cities in the fields of civil protection and crisis preparedness, education, and the development of municipal administrative capacity. Activities planned for 2026 include a study visit and hackathon together with the cities of Kyiv, Lviv and Dnipro, the training of Ukrainian teachers in digital pre-school education at the EDUHUB methodology centre in Zhytomyr. A joint project between Tallinn, Helsinki and Stockholm with Ukrainian partner cities is also being prepared.
This year, Tallinn donated a large quantity of energy equipment to Ukraine, including diesel generators, heaters and inverter generators, which were handed over to the Zhytomyr Oblast during the visit.
Source: tallinn.ee
