Stockholm, 3 September 2024
The Swedish Government has approved SEK 2 million in support to the inhabitants of Gammalsvenskby in Ukraine. The village, which was founded by Swedes in 1782, has been under immense pressure since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The new support will be used to meet the inhabitants’ immediate needs during the winter. The initiative also means that the village’s children will have the opportunity to attend a summer camp on Gotland next year. The support is a first step in Sweden’s commitment to rebuilding the village’s cultural heritage in the long term.
Russia continued to bomb Gammalsvenskby during the summer. The people have had a very difficult time and historic buildings such as churches have burned to the ground. The village has been extremely hard hit by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has been on the front line for the past year and a half. More than 80 per cent of the village’s buildings have been destroyed.
“Sweden has been a partner to the inhabitants of Gammalsvenskby for a long time and we continue to stand by the villagers’ side. The new funds amounting to SEK 2 million will help support the inhabitants during the coming winter through measures for medicine, heating and electricity. We also intend to help the municipality and villages with reconstruction when the situation allows,” says Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell.
The support will be used to develop a cultural environment plan for reconstruction and rural development, aimed at making the village an attractive place to visit and live in in the long term. The initiative also includes short-term support – this involves helping the villagers survive the winter through measures for medicine, heating and electricity, and giving Gammalsvenskby’s children a break from the war by offering them the chance to attend a summer camp on Gotland next summer.
The support totals SEK 2 million in 2024 and 2025 and is channelled through the Gotland Museum, which works to preserve the Swedish-Ukrainian cultural heritage that is currently found both in Gammalsvenskby and on Gotland.
Gammalsvenskby
Gammalsvenskby was founded in 1782 by Swedes who were forcibly deported from Dagö to southern Ukraine during Russia’s annexation of Estonia. These Swedes held on to their Swedish language, culture and Lutheran Christianity during the 150 years that passed before the Swedish villagers were allowed to leave the Soviet Union and return to Sweden in 1929. Those who chose to remain in Gammalsvenskby have maintained their unique cultural heritage and to this day have strong links to, and relations with, Sweden.
Source – Government of Sweden