University of Hull supports Ukrainian academics

Mariupol is currently occupied by Russian forces and the university has relocated to a temporary base in Kyiv

The University of Hull has been supporting an Ukrainian university following the Russian invasion.

Mariupol State University has been twinned with Hull since June 2022.

It has received IT equipment, online learning support and donations to rebuild its student accommodation.

Professor Mykola Trofymenko, rector of the university in southern Ukraine, described it as "one of the best examples of collaboration between Ukrainian and British universities".

"I am very touched with the University of Hull community attitude and perception of Mariupol," he said.

Hull's rebuilding after it was devastated in bombing raids during World War Two and the resilience of its wartime population is also being used as inspiration for the regeneration of Mariupol.

In February, when Prof Trofymenko and his delegation visited Hull, he noticed similarities in the geography of both cities.

"When I saw the map of Hull, I thought it was the map of Mariupol," he said.

"Mariupol and Hull have the same profiles and backgrounds. They are both industrial cities and sea ports."

David Atkinson, professor of cultural and historical geography at University of Hull, gave the delegation a talk about the bombing of Hull in 1941.

Prof Atkinson said the delegation from Mariupol were particularly interested in the attitudes of Hull's residents following the Blitz.

"The bombing wasn't as lethal in Hull, but it did last for five years," he said.

"So, it was that same sense that the bombers might be coming over any time."

Professor Mykola Trofymenko (right) said their were similarities between Hull and Mariupol

They also discussed a plan from 1945 to rebuild Hull. It was called the Abercrombie Plan.

"It was great in terms of its utopian intent, but the money wasn't quite all there to make it work," Prof Atkinson said.

"But, it did give hope and promise. The sense that there is a brighter place further down the way.

"That's what the Ukrainians were most interested in."

Mariupol is occupied by Russian forces and the university has relocated to a temporary base in Kyiv with its academics and students living there in exile.