A Sheffield councillor opened up about his ‘impactful and thought provoking’ trip to Ukraine, and how the city can use their manufacturing skills and specialities to help.

Coun Matt Dwyer, who recently visited Ukraine with fellow Sheffield councillor Mark Rusling, saw first-hand the effect that the war was having on day-to-day life, but was also frustrated by how normal the tragedy had become.

He said: “The really normal linked with the really surreal is just the story of the whole experience.”

Coun Dwyer told ShefLive of the ‘jarring’ sound of air raid alarm that went off during their first morning in Lviv.

Coun Dwyer said: “Every Ukrainian around us was just going about their normal day because it was 5:30PM on a Friday and everyone was going for after work drinks.”

It emphasised just how normal war culture has become for the citizens of Ukraine, he added. 

Coun Dwyer said the most impactful moment happened on the train out of Lviv. 

As they were getting off the train the intercom said: “Thank you for travelling with us, we hope you had a pleasant journey.”

And then added: “1000 rail workers have died since 2022 but they have taken 1 million children to safety.”

Coun Dwyer was particularly taken aback by the ‘national solidarity’ that this showed and how Britain has not seen this ‘since the Second World War’.

Solidarity was also shown in the weekly minute of silence that takes place in the city of Lviv.

He said that ‘the city stops’ and described how the trams stopped, buses pulled over and cars stopped in the road.

The trip made Coun Dwyer consider what Sheffield could do to help.

He said: “Lviv is part of the Unbroken Network, cities that support each other, I think that’s something Sheffield could join.” 

He met with the Deputy Mayor of Lviv and was told how investments in Ukraine from Britain and America would help keep Ukraine safe. 

Coun Dwyer said: “Our expertise match up really well with what Ukraine need, Sheffield’s industrial strategy would really feed job growth in Sheffield but also lead to investment in Western Ukraine because its manufacturing and biomedical science that they need, and those are two things we are world leaders in.”