The Anacortes City Council voted 7-0 Monday to remove Russian flags from public displays, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
While council was clear about its desire to remove the visible shows of support for the Russian nation, it also indicated it wanted to maintain its relationship with its sister city, Lomonosov, Russia.
The white, blue and red flag is displayed with the U.S. flag and those of other nations where Anacortes has sister cities, at the city entrance sign and near the ferry terminal. Those flags were likely to be removed Tuesday, Mayor Matt Miller said in an email.
The Russian flag also stood among those of other sister city nations behind council members during meetings. Mayor Miller removed that flag himself after Monday night’s meeting, he said.
Christine Cleland-McGrath joined other council members at Monday’s meeting in making a distinction between the Russian people and the government that is responsible for tearing apart Ukrainian families and culture in an unprovoked attack.
“I think my challenge is when I look behind us, and we have the Russian flag,” Cleland-McGrath said. “While it does represent all of those wonderful people, it is also the flag that is being flown as it invades another country.”
Council member Carolyn Moulton, who called for Monday night’s vote, said council would prepare a resolution for next week’s meeting expressing support for Ukraine and sister city Lomonosov.
Anacortes began its sister-city relationship with Lomonosov less than a year after the collapse of the Soviet Union, to foster “the cause of peace and mutual understanding,” according to the city’s 1992 resolution. Lomonosov, population 43,000, is in northwest Russia, on the Gulf of Finland near St. Petersburg.
In Bellingham, Council President Hannah Stone told Mayor Seth Fleetwood at a Feb. 28 meeting that many people in Bellingham have close ties with both Russia and Ukraine, and “questions have been raised” about the city’s relationship with one of its sister cities, Nakhodka, Russia.
Fleetwood said he had not spoken with officials from Bellingham’s sister city, but he was firm about maintaining the relationship.
“This inspired idea of sister cities,” the mayor said, “was very much based on the idea that if we made friends with people in foreign countries, we would be less inclined to engage in the sorts of things that are happening in Russia right now, and I believe very much in that notion.”
“Our beef of course is with the dictator in Russia, and so I think I’m quite confident in saying that I will be making no efforts to sever ties,” Fleetwood added.
On March 4, Fleetwood and Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu issued a joint proclamation stating that they “stand in solidarity with our Ukrainian neighbors as well as the people of Ukraine, as they bravely defend their country, their freedom and their lives.”
U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, whose district includes Whatcom and Skagit counties, also issued a statement supporting Ukraine: “Whether it takes two days, two weeks, two months or two years, the situation in Ukraine is not over until an independent and sovereign Ukraine has its boundaries back and the continued freedom to choose its own leaders and future. I will stand with Ukraine no matter how long it takes.”
