Despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the increase in hybrid attacks across Europe, German cities and municipalities are maintaining their partnerships with Russian counterpart cities. This trend was revealed by a survey conducted by the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (Editorial Network Germany) among roughly 100 municipalities with Russian partner cities.
According to the survey, only one municipality has officially terminated its partnership since the war began. All others have, however, suspended their connections according to their own reports. Official trips, receptions, and exchange programs have ceased, but the partnerships remain formally in existence.
For the eventuality of a peace settlement, 42 percent of the surveyed municipalities stated their intention to reactivate their partnerships. This group includes major cities such as Stuttgart, Dresden, Essen, and Aachen. Only two municipalities rejected this possibility, while the rest expressed indecision. In March 2022, the German Association of Cities recommended against canceling the partnerships, suggesting instead that they be put on hold.
Furthermore, 39 percent of the municipalities reported that informal contacts with the Russian partner city have continued since the start of the war, mainly at administrative levels, through clubs, or cultural initiatives. In Münster, the city reported maintaining video calls with the administration in Ryazan every three months until the end of 2022; currently, contact occurs about twice a year. The Hamburg Port Marketing GmbH, according to RND, has received funding from the Hamburg Senate until May 2026 for activities in Russia, including setting up an office in St. Petersburg and conducting market monitoring in the Baltic Sea region.
Connections also persist through Russian-German partner associations. The survey indicated that after the war began, volunteers in five German communities received visits from their Russian partner cities. For example, members of the Deutsch-Russische Gesellschaft Ettlingen traveled to the partner city of Gatchina in May 2024, according to RND.
Simultaneously, 53 percent of the municipalities denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine in letters addressed to their partner cities. Seventeen percent received a response, which Dresden noted sometimes contained pro-Putin phrasing. Tübingen reported that the partner city named the eradication of Nazism in Europe as a prerequisite for resuming contact.
Criticism of these ongoing formal ties comes from the opposition in some cities. This year, motions by the CDU and FDP in Hamburg and Düsseldorf, aiming to completely terminate their partnerships with Russian communities, failed. Proponents of maintaining the partnerships argue that the connections between the citizens should be preserved. Additionally, 25 percent of the surveyed municipalities reported establishing a new partnership with a Ukrainian city or expanding an existing connection since 2022.
