On 24 September the mayor of the Polish town of Orzesze, Mariusz Oleś, came to Bucha and personally handed over humanitarian aid for Ukrainian soldiers. He was received by the mayor of Bucha, Anatolii Fedoruk, who heads the Kyiv regional branch of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, and the branch’s executive director Vitalii Andreiev.

The meeting was reported by the Kyiv regional branch of the Association of Ukrainian Cities.

What they discussed

Besides the aid handover, the sides discussed further cooperation and building partnerships between Ukrainian and Polish communities. The association’s branch summed it up: “Meetings like this are not only about strengthening international partnership, but also about concrete support for those who are defending Ukraine today.”

Participants of the meeting at Bucha city councilPhoto: Kyiv regional branch of the Association of Ukrainian Cities
Participants of the meeting at Bucha city council
During the meeting at Bucha city councilPhoto: Kyiv regional branch of the Association of Ukrainian Cities
During the meeting at Bucha city council
Mariusz Oleś at Bucha city councilPhoto: Kyiv regional branch of the Association of Ukrainian Cities
Mariusz Oleś at Bucha city council

The aid is already at the front

The next day the branch shared a video in which Ukrainian soldiers thank the mayor of Orzesze: he drove the humanitarian cargo to the front line himself. “For the military, such support is not only much-needed help, but also a sense that Ukraine has reliable friends and partners who stay by its side,” the post says.

Who Mariusz Oleś is

Orzesze is a town in Poland’s Silesian Voivodeship, and Mariusz Oleś has led it since 2024. Before that he organised front-line aid in Ukraine, worked as a martial arts coach and was a member of a search and rescue group. The mayor’s office, it seems, has not changed that habit.

Earlier we wrote about Anatolii Fedoruk travelling to Seoul to negotiate projects for Bucha’s water utility.