Sumy, Ukraine — Sacramento's newest sister city — attacked by Russian forces
SACRAMENTO — As we celebrate our freedom here in the United States, the people in Ukraine are fighting and dying for theirs.
Monday morning, the city of Sumy, Sacramento's newest sister city in Ukraine, was attacked by Russian forces.
"Today, we had an attack by Iranian kamikaze drones," Dr. Andriy Kramchenkov told CBS Sacramento.
Kramchenkov works with the public broadcasting company of Ukraine.
"They attacked civilians," he said. "For now, one man was killed and 16 got injured."
Despite this latest attack, Kramchenkov made time to talk with us. He knows how important it is to get Sumy's story out, especially to the people of Sacramento.
"We are fighting for our freedom," he said. "With this support or without this support, we are going to fight."
Sumy is a city of about 300,000 people and boasts a top university and a strong manufacturing industry.
"The city was founded in 1655, so it is not so old but not so young," Kramchenkov said.
"It was founded as a fortress on the border."
One in six Ukrainian immigrants in the U.S. reside in California — and the Sacramento region is home to approximately 20,000 immigrants from Ukraine. The recent sister city announcement was welcome with open arms.
"On behalf of the Sumy City Council and our community, let me express our deepest gratitude for your support in this initiative, and an opportunity to build a bridge between us," Sumy Mayor Oleksandr Lysenko said of the announcement.
And it's small things like this, that Kramchenkov says can make all the difference.
"It looks like Ukraine is now a part of the Western world, and we feel like we are not alone in this war," he said.
Kramchenkov said U.S. aid and support have made them feel like part of the Western world, and that they're not alone in this war.
