Sienkevych announced plans to create a «digital twin» of Mykolaiv to help plan the city’s development during his visit to Taiwan

Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych has announced plans to create a ‘digital twin’ for Mykolaiv, which will assist in planning the city’s reconstruction and development.

This was reported in a story by the Taiwanese satellite broadcaster TVBS on 18 March, according to NikVesti.

It should be noted that on 18 March, the Smart City Summit and Expo took place in Taipei, where most delegations discussed sustainable development and digital services. However, as the report states, Ukrainian officials arrived with a different mission — «shaped by war, but still focused on building the future».

«Right now, Ukraine has more serious problems than its carbon footprint (greenhouse gas emissions — note) due to the war. We think how to survive, how to build shelters, but at the same time we are thinking about the future,» said Oleksandr Sienkevych.

Oleksandr Sienkevych at a conference in Taiwan. Screenshot from a TVBS report

Oleksandr Sienkevych noted that they will be working on creating a «digital twin» of the city together with the UN Economic Commission for Europe and the Italian company «One Works».

Mykolaiv’s chief architect, Yevhen Poliakov, also attended the conference alongside Oleksandr Sienkevych.

Mykolaiv’s chief architect Yevhen Poliakov (centre). Screenshot from a TVBS report

The conference was also attended by Dnipro City Council Secretary Oleksandr Sanzhara and Lviv Deputy Mayor for Veterans’ Affairs Andrii Zholob.

The Smart City Summit & Expo is an international forum and exhibition of solutions for ‘smart cities’, held annually in Taiwan and considered one of the largest events of its kind in Asia. The event brings together city leaders, government representatives, businesses and technology companies to discuss digital transformation, sustainable development and the implementation of innovations in city management. In 2026, the summit took place from 17–20 March at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Centre and featured exhibitions, forums and project presentations in the fields of digital infrastructure, security, urban services and environmental transformation.

It should be noted that over 150 local councillors went on overseas business trips in 2025. Around 2.4 million hryvnias from local budgets were allocated for these trips. At the same time, there are no documented business trips in Mykolaiv. The Mykolaiv City Council stated that no data on councillors’ overseas business trips had been recorded. The Kharkiv City Council gave a similar response. Meanwhile, the Odesa City Council reported that no councillors had been sent on official business trips abroad.