The City of Helsinki is supporting the people of Ukraine – both those who have fled and those who have remained in the war-torn country – in many ways. It continues its close cooperation with Dnipro, its partner city in Ukraine. In November, musical instruments purchased with Helsinki concert proceeds were donated to young music students in Dnipro.
The City of Helsinki has supported Ukrainian cities in various ways since February 2022, when the full-scale war in Ukraine began. The collaboration deepened in December 2023, when Helsinki’s then Mayor Juhana Vartiainen and Dnipro’s Mayor Borys Filatov signed a cooperation agreement between the two cities. The current Mayor of Helsinki Daniel Sazonov is continuing this cooperation, which has gotten off to a great start.
With a population of around one million, Dnipro is Ukraine’s fourth largest city and home to strong technological expertise and several universities. Dnipro is also a significant centre for internally displaced persons in Ukraine, and it has been hit hard by Russian bombing.
The partner cities are committed to cooperating closely both during and after the war to reconstruct Ukraine. The key themes of the partnership are education, camps for children and young people, city planning, security, preparedness and good governance.
A clear demonstration of this intercity cooperation was seen in November during a donation ceremony in Dnipro that targeted young students of music who had lost loved ones in the war. In the ceremony, a total of 19 young people received a donated musical instrument that had been purchased with the ticket proceeds from the “Sunflower Seeds of Hope” chamber music performance arranged in Helsinki last May.
“We are doing everything we can to keep our defenders’ families – and children who have lost their parents in particular – from feeling alone. This latest donation is just a drop in the ocean of kindness that our friends throughout the world have shown us. In accepting these instruments, parents and children have an important sense that they are receiving assistance from not only city officials, but also our friends abroad who are with us in spirit during this terrible war,” said the Mayor of Dnipro Borys Filatov.
Helsinki Mayor Daniel Sazonov participated in the Dnipro donation ceremony via an internet connection from Finland’s capital.
“I am very happy to see that events organised in Helsinki have resulted in a concrete benefit for Ukrainian children. Dnipro’s decision to direct the concert proceeds towards supporting music students who have lost loved ones in the war is both important and forward-looking. We believe in the power of art and culture here in Helsinki. This is why we also want to do our part and support Dnipro and Ukraine in this work,” said Mayor Sazonov.
One of the key focus areas of the collaboration between Helsinki and Dnipro is promoting activities for children and young people in order to give them a break from the harsh realities of daily life in a country at war.
This summer, the City of Helsinki, together with the Helsinki YMCA, organised a two-week camp for children and young people from Dnipro at the Pelli Camp Centre in Karjalohja, southern Finland. A total of 30 young people from Ukraine came to experience the Finnish summer.
The camp included a range of participant-approved recreational activities in a nature setting, including sauna, swimming and canoeing. Helsinki YMCA employees were on hand to ensure the young people’s safety, lead the activities and offer good food.
The young people from Dnipro also got to explore several Helsinki attractions. The programme included visits to the Central Library Oodi, the fortress island of Suomenlinna, the science museum Heureka and the Hietaranta beach. A trip to the Linnanmäki amusement park was a clear highlight. Participants also met with Deputy Mayor Johanna Laisaari to discuss their experience.
This was the second time the summer camp was organised. Last summer, 30 young people from Dnipro spent two weeks at the Kiljava Camp Centre in Hyvinkää and made a similar trip to Helsinki.
Last spring, on 23–25 May, the cities of Helsinki and Dnipro co-organised a Dnipro Days event, which was designed to send a strong message in support of peace in Ukraine.
The weekend began with a one-of-a-kind concert named “Sunflower Seeds of Hope" at Helsinki’s Temppeliaukio Church. The concert united top musicians from Ukraine’s Four Seasons Chamber Orchestra, who now play in different countries due to the war, and therefore rarely perform together. The orchestra’s repertoire included works from Finnish, German and Ukrainian composers. The audience was deeply moved by the powerful performances, and the performers were visibly touched by the warm reception they received from the full house at the church.
"The interpretations by the skilled orchestra and world-class soloists, such as the violinist Dmytro Udovichenko, reminded us that Ukrainians are not giving up. Even in difficult circumstances, life goes on and new things are created. We cannot forget that the Ukrainians are also fighting this war on our behalf, and that is why we must help and support Ukraine wherever we can," said the then Mayor Vartiainen.
Temppeliaukio Church filled with friends of Ukraine during the Sunflower Seeds of Hope concert. A recording of the concert is available for viewing on the Helsinki Channel (subtitles in English, Finnish and Swedish).
The concert was followed by Helsinki’s World Village Festival, an urban celebration of sustainable development that featured peace as its central theme. Helsinki invited Dnipro to take part in the festival in order to showcase the city and Ukrainian culture. Dnipro had its own tent at the festival that offered day-long activities, music, and an arts and crafts workshop for children based on Ukrainian painting traditions.
The mayors of Helsinki and Dnipro discussed the global significance of cooperation between the cities as part of the festival programme. In the panel discussion, Dnipro’s Mayor Filatov emphasised the importance of people’s moral support. Ukrainians are empowered by the knowledge that other countries and cities such as Finland and Helsinki, support them in their fight for sovereignty.
As part of the Dnipro Days programme, a delegation of nearly 50 people from Ukraine arrived in Helsinki, led by Dnipro’s Mayor Filatov. Some members of the delegation met with then Mayor Vartiainen and then Deputy Mayor Daniel Sazonov. In addition, they visited Töölö General Upper Secondary School, where they discussed educational collaboration between the cities and learned about Finland’s provision of school meals. The members of the delegation also stopped by the Military Museum in Suomenlinna. The Dnipro delegation put on a theatre performance for a gathering at the Help Centre for Ukrainians in the Helsinki district of Vallila.
The delegation’s visit further deepened the partnership between the cities and opened up new opportunities for collaboration in support of a peaceful future for Ukraine. The weekend also introduced many facets of the Ukrainian culture to the Finns.
In addition to its collaboration on events, the City of Helsinki has assisted war-torn Dnipro with several donations.
Last year, Helsinki assembled a relief package of donated supplies worth EUR 140,000, which was delivered to Dnipro through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
The shipment included furniture for classrooms and daycare centres, health care and trauma equipment, devices, vehicles, physiotherapy tools, professional clothing and equipment related to civil defence shelters. In addition, Helsinki’s construction service company Stara donated worksite huts, shipping containers and an earth-moving machine to Dnipro.
This year, Helsinki City Board approved an additional EUR 110,000 in support for Ukraine.
The majority of the funds will cover summer camp costs for the children and young people from Dnipro. The support also made it possible for Dnipro to participate in the World Village Festival and for the Dnipro Chamber Orchestra to visit Helsinki.
The article was first published on May 30, 2025, and it was updated in August and November 2025.
