Suhl remains loyal to Kaluga: Partnership drama with Podilsk sparked a dispute!

Suhl remains loyal to Kaluga: Partnership drama with Podilsk sparked a dispute!

Suhl, Deutschland - The city of Suhl in Thuringia makes headlines! Despite the continuing war in Ukraine, Suhl, the decades of partnership with Kaluga, Russia, refuses. This has led to a storm of indignation in the media, especially among Ukrainian news channels, who reported that Suhl rejected a partnership with the Ukrainian city of Podilsk for fear of losing relationships with Kaluga. The decision of the Suhl city council causes great incomprehension and raises questions.

The chronology of events is as revealing as it is explosive. On January 8, 2023, the mayor of Podilsk turned to Suhl's Mayor André Knapp (CDU) with the proposal of a town twinning. But the answer from Suhl came promptly: the existing partnership with Kaluga, which is currently resting, excludes new relationships with the Ukrainian city. The concerns of the Suhl city councilors are obvious: they fear that they are labeled as "Putin friends", which makes the discussion more difficult.

political tensions and different opinions

The opinions in the Suhl city council are split. Lars Jähne, the chairman of the CDU parliamentary group, emphasizes the importance of partnership relationships and is in favor of maintaining the connection to Kaluga. At the same time, he shows understanding for the different views within the faction. Philipp Weltzien from the left also supports the existing partnership with Kaluga and sees the opportunity to build relationships with Podilsk, without ignoring the political tensions.

The story between Suhl and Kaluga is one of the oldest German-Russian town twinning, which began in 1969 and was solemnly renewed in 2019. If Podilsk agreed, Suhl could be the only German city that is connected to both a Russian and a Ukrainian city. Martin Kummer, former mayor of Suhl, sees this constellation an opportunity for understanding and approaching after the war. However, the future of this partnership remains uncertain, and the city of Kaluga has not yet commented on the possible effects of a partnership with Podilsk.