Authors

Elizaveta Zubiuk¹;  ¹ University of Sheffield, UK

Discussion

In the summer of 2022, Mariupol, devastated by war and nearly destroyed, was declared a twin town of St. Petersburg, while Moscow was twinned with Luhansk, the capital of the annexed "Luhansk People's Republic" (LPR). This hypocritical gesture by the Russian government reflects a global strategy of cultural diplomacy, employed since the mid-20th century, which involves engaging local communities in international relations. The cynical nature of this decision was further highlighted as many European municipal governments severed ties with their Russian counterparts, including the historic first twin towns, Coventry and Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad).
For the Soviet predecessors of the current Russian government, the twin town movement was a nonviolent way to extend influence, not only at the state level in satellite countries but also locally, through the preferred method of people-to-people diplomacy. Since the authorities have historically used the international twinning movement to bolster their authority on the global stage, the contributions of those who directly participated in its implementation are often overlooked due to the overshadowing political component. Yet, by its nature, town twinning is intended to benefit residents through mutual cultural and economic enrichment.
What, then, did the twin town movement mean for participants from Soviet and European cities when it provided one of the few opportunities for residents of "small towns" behind the Iron Curtain — who otherwise had no means of travelling abroad — to connect with the outside world during the Cold War? What strategies did local authorities (or communities) use to select their partners? How did twin towns perceive one another, and how did this "friendly" gaze from abroad shape the identities of urban communities? In my research, I aim to address these questions from a grassroots perspective, while also tracing the evolution of top-down policies.