Durham County Council cuts ties with Russian twin town after Ukraine invasion

The leader of Durham County Council has issued a statement saying that they have severed ties with the county's twin city in Russia in response to the country's invasion of Ukraine.

In a statement, Councillor Amanda Hopgood said that County Durham was first linked with the Russian city of Kostroma back in 1968 when it signed a charter of friendship.

This was part of a number of 'twinning arrangements' that the council had developed with towns and cities from Germany, Slovakia, Denmark, France, Spain, America and Hungary.

However, Hopgood said that following the recent invasion of Ukraine, they can no longer uphold the relationship, saying:

“In light of the military action being carried out by Russia, and in line with steps already taken by other councils across the country, we will be ending the twinning arrangements with Kostroma as a show of our opposition.

"We wish to make it clear we do not blame people in Kostroma for the actions of their country’s leaders."

The Ukrainian flag is being flown outside of County Hall as a gesture of solidarity with the country. Cllr Hopgood ended the statement by saying, “Our thoughts remain firmly with Ukraine.”