Tallinn and Lviv to cooperate on strengthening community resilience

TALLINN – An international meeting for European municipalities was held in Lviv this week, where Tallinn and Lviv signed a memorandum of understanding, laying the groundwork for cooperation in developing civil protection, crisis preparedness, and community resilience.

The cooperation focuses on developing practical and human-centered solutions to urban security and civil defense challenges. The goal is to bring together experts, companies, startups, students, and communities from both cities to develop innovative urban solutions and share experiences that other municipalities can easily implement in the future.

Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan emphasized the growing importance of entrepreneurship and innovation in enhancing crisis preparedness. "Companies can offer solutions that strengthen a community's sense of security and help cities better cope with changing circumstances. Cooperating with Lviv and other municipalities will expand our knowledge, help us understand the solutions cities genuinely need, and give us the opportunity to test them in practice. We can also assess whether Tallinn would benefit from joining the Unbroken Cities network, which Lviv is actively leading," Järvan said.

Lviv's First Deputy Mayor, Andriy Moskalenko, said at the meeting that they are pleased to begin collaborating with Tallinn on innovation, particularly in civil defense. "We have many companies and a strong industrial sector with experience to share. The first step will be participating in the hackathon organized by our Estonian friends. It is excellent that our colleagues from Tallinn could visit Lviv as part of the Unbroken Cities network and see firsthand what we are experiencing. This establishes a common horizon for action, focusing on urban resilience and, naturally, defense," Moskalenko added.

One aspect of the cooperation is an international 48-hour hackathon that the Tallinn Enterprise Department plans to organize in 2026. The event will focus on solutions supporting community security, resilience, and well-being. The goal is to bring together cities, startups, experts, and communities to develop practical and internationally applicable ideas that can be quickly tested and further developed.

The study visit was organized by UNBROKEN University in cooperation with the Lviv City Government to support learning and cooperation between municipalities in solving complex situations. The program was based on real-world practices from Lviv, Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Kharkiv on ensuring the functioning of heating, water, electricity, and other vital services under constant security threats.

Tallinn has long valued Ukraine's experience. Last November, heads of several Tallinn city departments—including the municipal police—visited Kyiv and Zhytomyr to learn about their crisis management structures. The study visit to Lviv offered an opportunity to continue this cooperation and deepen the understanding of how to manage difficult situations and maintain essential city services.

The cooperation with Ukrainian cities is part of Tallinn's broader and continuous support for Ukraine, which includes humanitarian aid, inter-city partnerships, and the practical exchange of knowledge on crisis management and strengthening resilience.