BUCHA, UKRAINE - Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan joined Bucha Mayor Anatolii Fedoruk on Friday, June 14 to help deliver 40+ ambulances to Ukraine, break ground on a new mental health hospital in Bucha, and present Mayor Fedoruk with a key to the City of Albany. Also in attendance were representatives from President Zelenskyy’s office, the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, AMC Healthcare of Tampa, Florida, the Ukrainian Parliament, and the Bucha City Council.

This event was the culmination of an eight-day, cross-continent “Convoy of Hope” led by Ukraine Focus. A group of volunteers from across the world drove 40+ ambulances nearly 2,000 miles from Normandy, France through Germany, Austria, and Slovakia to their delivery point in Bucha, Ukraine. Mayor Sheehan joined the convoy in Munich, Germany and drove an ambulance from Munich to Mukachevo, Ukraine before members of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces led the convoy to Kyiv and Bucha.

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said, “It was truly an honor to join Mayor Fedoruk in Bucha today for a historic hospital groundbreaking in one of the cities hardest hit by the Russians during this terrible war in Ukraine. I have seen first-hand the resilience, pride, and strength the people of Ukraine possess, and I am so thankful we can deliver a small sliver of hope to this beautiful nation. I speak for mayors across New York State and the United States of America when I say how supportive we are of Ukraine as they repel the Russian invasion and work to rebuild. I also presented Mayor Fedoruk with a key to the City of Albany as a testament to our partnership. Today we took another step toward fostering a deeper relationship between Albany and Bucha, and I look forward to watching the relationship blossom even further in the decades to come.”

PHOTOS & VIDEO FROM GROUNDBREAKING: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-JcUltABbR7KCxk7zCF1Vwb3lchZafER?usp=sharing

Approximately 80 years ago toward the end of World War II, Albany’s 72nd Mayor, Erastus Corning II, entered into a sister-city relationship with the war-torn city of Nijmegen, Netherlands. Before the Marshall Plan was developed, residents of Albany banded together to ship more than 400 tons of goods, materials, and other resources to assist the residents of Nijmegen as they sought to rebuild after Operation Market Garden. Albany and Nijmegen enjoy a rich and vibrant relationship to this day.

In February 2023, the City of Albany and City of Bucha, Ukraine entered into a sister-city relationship after similar circumstances. Russian war crimes caused great devastation in Bucha, and when called upon by common friends, including then-New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos, Mayor Sheehan welcomed Mayor Fedoruk to Albany to sign a Memorandum of Understanding and officially become sister-cities. Since then, the City of Albany has donated fifty sets of firefighter turnout gear, several computers and cases of medical equipment, and also raised thousands of dollars to help support the ambulance convoy effort. 

The Convoy of Hope convened in northern France on Thursday, June 6 to attend the 80th anniversary of the Allied Forces’ storming of the beaches of Normandy in an effort to push back the Nazi forces that occupied France. David Galin, Chief of Staff to Mayor Sheehan, attended the remembrance ceremony on Mayor Sheehan’s behalf. 

The Convoy of Hope traveled through Europe as follows:

• Friday, June 7: Convoy is welcomed to Utah Beach by Charles de Vallavieille, Mayor of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, and travels to Reims, France. 
• Saturday, June 8: Convoy travels from Reims, France to Munich, Germany (Mayor Sheehan meets convoy in Munich).
• Sunday, June 9: Convoy travels from Munich, Germany through Austria to Bratislava, Slovakia.
• Monday, June 10: Convoy meets with U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia, Gautam Rana, and Ukraine Ambassador to Slovakia, Myroslav Kastran, in Sereď, Slovakia and continues to Kosice, Slovakia.
• Tuesday, June 11: Convoy crosses border between Slovakia and Ukraine and stops in Mukachevo, Ukraine.
• Wednesday, June 12: Portion of convoy drives across Ukraine from Mukachevo to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.
• Thursday, June 13: Remainder of convoy makes journey from Mukachevo to Kyiv and continues to Bucha.
• Friday, June 14: Groundbreaking at new mental health hospital and delivery of 40+ ambulances in Bucha, Ukraine.

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