Ukrainian President Zelenskiy Named Prague “City Saviour”

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, signed Decree No. 742/2022 “On awarding the city of Prague with the honorary title of “City Saviour”.

The award honors the solidarity of the local authorities, residents and volunteers of Prague with the Ukrainian people, the comprehensive large-scale assistance to the citizens of Ukraine who were forced to leave their homeland as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, as well as the strong support of our state in protecting its independence and sovereignty.

“Congratulations, Golden Prague, and thank you very much,” wrote on Twitter Yevhen Perebyinis, Ukraine’s former ambassador in the Czech capital.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, Prague has sheltered more than 100,000 Ukrainians who came to the Czech Republic in search of salvation. In total, the country gave shelter to more than 460,000 Ukrainian citizens.

The Czech Republic actively and decisively supports our country in countering the aggression of the Russian Federation and overcoming its consequences. The Czech Republic is also one of the leaders in providing security assistance to Ukraine.

Prague became the third city, after Poland’s Rzeszów and Przemyśl, to be awarded the honorary title of City Saviour.

Prague mayor Zdeněk Hřib took to social media to thank Ukrainian authorities for the award, noting on Twitter that the city had “ensured safety from the war for 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, mostly women and children” since late February.

“We also support Ukraine materially and will continue to do so even in the context of post-war reconstruction,” he wrote.

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Czech state has granted a total of 446,811 temporary visas, which allow their holders access to public health insurance, education and the labour market.