Mayor Kylie King extended an invite to Vasyl Myroshnychenko to visit after she heard him speak in Canberra

Albury mayor Kylie King decided to invite Vasyl Myroshnychenko to the city after she heard him speak at the recent National Assembly of Local Government in Canberra.

"He played a video which featured heartbreaking footage of cities and regional towns in Ukraine before and after the invasion, as well as interviews with local mayors talking about the impacts," she said.

"It was a very powerful presentation and something I thought our community would like to hear more about, especially given our unique ties with Ukraine, and our community's desire to show their support in some way."

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Albury-Wodonga was a training venue for the Ukrainian Olympic team ahead of the Sydney 2000 Olympics, something that Cr King said created strong bonds between the city's residents and Ukrainians.

With this in mind, Cr King said Mr Myroshnychenko might want to visit a display on the Olympics-link at the Bonegilla Migrant Centre

"Sports and community stalwart Graeme Hicks played a key role in liaising with the Ukraine Olympic team back in the day, and I remember him sharing stories of the strong bonds that were achieved as a result of Albury Wodonga hosting the Olympic team," she said.

A recommendation from Cr King to extend the invitation has been included in her delegates' report to councillors.

"I understand there may also be a service-community group that has extended an invitation, so perhaps we would partner with them, host a community fundraising event, work with Wodonga Council on organising a tour of Bonegilla and meet members of our local Ukrainian community," she said.

"It would all depend on the ambassador's availability."

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