by Ryan Markiewicz | Jun 2, 2025 | Berlin's Wall
All,
We went from the girls soccer training school to the Mayor’s office to give him the key to the city. Erie and Chornomorsk are both ports and earlier this year became Sister Cities. The Mayor even put on a sport coat for the event 😉
It was an easy meeting. I told Mayor Huliaiev that I am here representing the Mayor and City of Erie, though I am not in government/just business, and that I used to be a truck driver.
He looked very pleasantly surprised and said, “ME TOO!!!”
And I told him that I had a big mouth and kept getting fired so I started my own company.
And he said, “ME TOO!”
So…good bonding point :). We then exchanged keys to the city.
Gordie, Andriy, the Mayor, Sasha and Ole
Exchanging keys!
Here is the city of Erie key
We also gave him one of the hockey jerseys from the camps for Ukrainian kids we have been sponsoring along with Vorex and Lilly Broadcasting, in Erie, Buffalo, and Romania since the start of the war. The Mayor is a big sports fan. He went into a closet and came out like this 🙂
Mayor Huliaiev greeting Ole (the Professor looking sharper than all of us actually 😉)
A great day in Chornomorsk. The sister city designation is mostly symbolic, I know. But in 1812, Erie played a major role in the continuing struggle for independence for America, so our heart reaches out to this port city doing the same today.
Hopefully, we can begin to have exchanges–medical, educational, cultural, sports between our two cities, and that will knit us closer together 🙏
by Ryan Markiewicz | Jun 2, 2025 | Berlin's Wall
All,
On Sunday, we drove the hour from Odesa to Chornomorsk. As I’ve mentioned, these are 2 of the 3 Black Sea ports remaining under Ukrainian control. So, vital to Ukraine’s success and its future. We have gotten to meet with many of the folks who run them. They appreciate all the work LP has done to support Ukraine. And we appreciate their bravery and strength.
Today, our first event was with our good friends from Allrise Capital. They are the ones who own that magnificent stadium in Odesa and the women’s soccer team, the Seasters. Part of what they are doing is building a series of soccer schools for girls across Ukraine to give them good activities and to also build a feeder program. (The Seasters have gone from #16 to #4 in Ukraine already.) LP is a proud supporter of this program and was graciously invited to attend the school’s grand opening, led by the Mayor of Chornomorsk, Vasyl Huliaiev.
Mikhail and Melissa, our good friends from Allrise
Melissa, from Allrise, with the LP team
The LP team
We got to watch the kids practice and play. It was another sunny day, and another day with no bombs dropping – which makes it a MUCH more enjoyable visit 😉
These girls have some serious skill!
It’s funny that those of you who know me know I usually wear t-shirts, sneakers, and jeans (or Hawaiian shirts 😉), but for this event, and the one in the afternoon, I actually went out and bought a new suit, new tie, new shirt, and new dress shoes. I did it while visiting my daughter in Philly. Went to a men’s shop–said “Dress me nice, please!”, and came back to Erie with a new outfit. Hallie was SO proud of me that I could do that. Said I’m finally growing up 😆.
Gordie and I observing the festivities
Such a cool experience
Anyway, I get to the field, and the Mayor and everyone else is in shorts and t-shirts (of course!). Duh.
The Mayor (dressed appropriately in a black t-shirt. You TRY to do the right thing and dress up. And actually, though I don’t speak a word of Ukrainian, I’m pretty sure the Master of Ceremonies made fun of me for wearing a suit to a soccer field 🤪
And cool that Ole S., one of our guys in the Odesa region, pointed out the 2 schools on either side of the field. Said, “School # 2 over there is a bunch of idiots and slackers. School #3 over there is where I went.” hahahahaha
Ole S (“The Professor”) and the only guy other than me who wore a suit and tie 😅
After this, we are onto our next Chornomorsk event with Mayor Huliaiev. The exchange of keys with their newest sister city, Erie.
More pics from our good friend, Anna at Allrise Capital: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1auyz8hSAorrpRBGRJUUGCxQygGiXAFlm?usp=sharing
Onward!
Sergiy, our good friend and the unsung hero of the Chornomets Stadium.
Can’t wait to go back when the war is over and stadium is full of Seasters fans 🙂
by Ryan Markiewicz | May 30, 2025 | Berlin's Wall
All,
One of the main goals of our visit was to see the progress our good friends from Allrise Capital have made on the stadium and the women’s soccer team they own here in Odesa.
They acquired this stadium, built 15 years ago, about 5 years ago, just before Covid hit, which prohibited any games from being played. Then, 3 years ago, the Russian invasion did the same.
So, since they acquired this stadium, they haven’t had any paying fans, which is a challenging financial situation, as you can well imagine.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chornomorets_Stadium
Nonetheless, they have kept their focus (and invested their money) into improving the facility (it’s called a stadium, but trust me, inside it is more like a palace–Beautiful!) and they anxiously await the time when life here gets back to normal and the games, concerts and other activities can begin again.
The stadium also has a beautiful hotel, with 79 rooms, conference rooms, an incredible gym, and a pool. Plus, their women’s soccer team, the Seasters, has become one of the top teams in the country, bringing together young women from across Ukraine as well as from Africa and South America.
And Allrise is further investing in soccer training schools in Ukraine, with 11 of them now, to help create a feeder program that can make the Seasters even more competitive worldwide. This weekend, we will attend the opening ceremony of their newest women’s soccer training school in Chornomorsk, Erie’s sister city.
I’m excited.
Here’s the stadium
The view from the stands
View from the field
Sasha
Mikhail in front of the team bus. It’s amazing how much the bus driver looked like me. Even had a Buffalo Bills cap!
The stadium is right next to the Port of Odesa. It will be one of the crown jewels of Ukraine in the city that will fuel Ukraine’s economic connection with the rest of the world. We are terrifically proud to be a very small part of this. Thanks to Mikhail and Allrise for the opportunity.
Onward!
by Ryan Markiewicz | May 30, 2025 | Berlin's Wall
All,
Arrived here in the afternoon. Mikhail took us to a very nice Greek restaurant for lunch. DELICIOUS!
Jet lag (plus yesterday’s bike ride from hell) finally caught up to us, so both Gordie and I caught quick naps before heading out for a wonderful and memorable dinner with the owner, Slava, and his son, German, of this beautiful resort by the Black Sea.
Their family has been in Odesa for over 100 years. 4th generation. Both are extremely proud of their city’s unique and colorful history. They have owned and operated ports and been involved in government.
Because of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine has gone from having about 14 seaports, to just 3 now, all between Odesa and Chornomorsk (VERY close to one another) so we discussed the need to modernize the ports (especially for container ships) since there will be lots of good flowing into (and hopefully out of as well) Ukraine once the war end and reconstruction begins.
And Odesa, on the Black Sea, will become an even more major lifeline for Ukraine. BIG responsibility.
But, as mentioned earlier, Odesa/Ukraine is most definitely up to the task. PROUD history as Slava and German reminded us over a wonderful dinner.
Tomorrow, Andriy from our Kyiv office will join us, and we will visit the beautiful stadium here, which is owned by our good friends from Allrise Capital.
Onward!
by Ryan Markiewicz | May 30, 2025 | Berlin's Wall
We took the 4-hour drive from Moldova to Odesa. Uneventful. Easy drive. What strikes you is the beauty of the land. Fertile farmland dotted by small villages (some more modern than others). Border crossing was easy, and we look forward to our time here.
Now I’m gonna cheat and use CHAT GPT – AI and my new ‘best friend” 🙂 to give you a brief history of Odesa:
Odesa isn’t just a port city—it’s a survivor. It’s been claimed, shaped, starved, bombed, and reborn
more times than most capitals. And yet, here it is. Still standing. Still stubborn.
The land it sits on has passed through a dozen hands—Greeks, Tatars, Ottomans—but the modern city
started in 1794, when Catherine the Great decided Russia needed a Black Sea port that could rival the
best of Europe. She named it Odesa. And unlike most Russian cities of the time, this one was built by
outsiders—Italian architects, French engineers, Greek traders.
The man who really put it on the map was Armand Emmanuel du Plessis, the Duke de Richelieu—a
French nobleman who fled the revolution in France and ended up running a Russian city. Go figure. As
governor of Odesa in the early 1800s, he brought order, built the port, and laid out the city in clean,
European lines. He turned a dusty outpost into a real hub—and his statue still stands today at the top of
the Potemkin Stairs.
By the late 1800s, Odesa was booming. It was the third-largest city in the Russian Empire, after
Moscow and St. Petersburg. Ships came in loaded with grain and left full of goods and gossip. The city
had no shortage of either.
It was always a mix of cultures—Ukrainians, Russians, Jews, Greeks, Armenians, Italians. Sometimes
they got along, sometimes they didn’t. But they all helped shape the place. Odesa had a reputation for
quick wit, fast deals, and a kind of cheerful disregard for authority.
Then came the darker chapters. The Holodomor hit hard. The Nazis and Romanians occupied the city
during WWII and murdered tens of thousands—especially in the Jewish community. The scars of that
time still run deep.
In the Soviet years, Odesa was a closed naval city—strategic, secretive, and swarming with black
market deals. Even behind the Iron Curtain, it kept its sense of humor. Writers, smugglers, and
comedians all called it home.
Since Ukraine gained independence in 1991, Odesa has tried to balance old loyalties with new realities.
It’s still vital to Ukraine’s economy, culture, and identity. And now, in the face of Russia’s war on
Ukraine, the city once again finds itself on the edge—this time not just of the sea, but of history.
Odesa is tough. It’s complicated. It’s not perfect. But it’s standing. And that’s something.
“Odesa doesn’t bow easily. Not to tsars, not to tyrants, not to time.”
We connected with Sasha, who (thankfully) came down to meet us from Kyiv and will begin our visit here. This city is “different” 😉
Here are the two pictures CHATGPT gave me, as well as one that I took of the beautiful hotel we stayed at last time, The Bristol, which got hit by a Russian missile since our last visit.
The famous Potemkin stairs, memorialized in the famous movie, “Battleship Potemkin” by Sergei Eisenstein, one of the classic scenes in early movie making in 1925 (Note: if you ever saw “The Untouchables” with Kevin Costner and Sean Connery, that scene with the baby stroller at Chicago’s Union Station, was a clear homage to Eisenstein)
Statue of the Duke of Richelieu at the top of the stairs
And who he was (from CHATGPT)
The Duke of Richelieu’s path to Odesa is one of those fascinating twists of European history—where exile, war, and opportunity collided.
Here’s how Armand Emmanuel du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (1766–1822) ended up running a port city in the Russian Empire:
1. Born into Nobility in France
• He was a French aristocrat, descended from the famous Cardinal Richelieu, and inherited the title Duke of Richelieu.
• He served briefly in the royal court of Louis XVI, including time as a military officer.
2. Exiled by the French Revolution
• When the French Revolution broke out in 1789, Richelieu, like many nobles, was forced to flee.
• He became one of the so-called émigrés—royalists and aristocrats who scattered across Europe.
3. Entered Russian Service
• Richelieu found refuge in the Russian Empire, where Catherine the Great and later Tsar Alexander I welcomed exiled European aristocrats—especially if they brought talent, loyalty, and military experience.
• He served as an officer in the Imperial Russian Army, notably fighting against the Ottomans.
4. Appointed Governor of Odesa (1803)
• Impressed by his service and character, Tsar Alexander I appointed him Governor of Odesa and the surrounding region (New Russia).
• At the time, Odesa was a new and chaotic city. Richelieu brought order, European planning, and commercial ambition to the job.
• He helped lay out the city grid, expanded the port, improved sanitation, and made Odesa a thriving hub for grain exports, commerce, and immigration.
5. Returned to France After Napoleon’s Fall
• After Napoleon’s defeat, Richelieu returned to France and even served briefly as Prime Minister under Louis XVIII, helping with the political stabilization of post-Napoleonic France.
So, in short: the French Revolution exiled him, Russia gave him a second act, and Odesa became his legacy. His statue still stands in Odesa today—coattails blowing in the sea breeze, right where the steps meet the city.
And here is the Bristol hotel–wounded but still standing, and surely will be back on its feet one day. Part of a tough, resilient city and people!
And here is the Bristol from our visit last year. Beautiful, huh?
Onward!
by Ryan Markiewicz | May 29, 2025 | Berlin's Wall
All,
Had a very nice and full day in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.
Got in at midnight. Gordie and I both got up early and walked around the town. Pretty quiet, clean, and safe, with some cool sites. Had a nice breakfast.
Typical “English” breakfast. Delicious.
We signed up for a bike ride to a very cool underground winery. (Moldova is famous for wine.) Over 100 miles of tunnels and caves. Pretty cool. https://cricova.md/en
This place is like an underground castle.
A really cool place!
This is a picture and a thank-you letter from Yuri Gagarin, the first person to go into space. Word is that he visited here in 1964 and ended up spending the night (a combination of too much wine tasting and getting lost in the underground maze). Funny, he could get to space easier than he could find his way out of this place 😆
The bike ride itself was pretty tough. Through the city with a guide (just the 3 of us) and (I know you’re all gonna laugh at me and think I’m full of shit) but pretty much all uphill. And through mud roads once we left the city itself. It was really hard, though I felt much better that Gordie, who is an accomplished rider, also thought it was hard as hell 🤪.
Our guide, Ariel, was great. We never would have made it without him 😉
Last night we had dinner with Shelby Magid and our friends from The Atlantic Council. Just a few folks–ex-US Ambassadors, some Kremlinologists, some security folks. VERY smart people. Gordie and I just kind of took it all in.
Looking forward to arriving in Odesa today. Will be traveling with our good friends from Allrise Capital. Will meet the Mayor and the Governor of Odesa and visit the soccer stadium, the port, and the women’s soccer school. And of course, see some of our LP team members–that will be my favorite part and what I am looking most forward to 🙂
Moldova is another very cool part of the world. Ex-Soviet Republic, looking to “westernize” and keeping an eye on how things go next door in Ukraine. Would likely be the next to fall if Ukraine is defeated, so clearly they/we have a stake in how this war ends. Hoping that the peace talks soon get “real” and that the US actually brings Putin to the table instead of continuing to kick the can down the road.
Lots of old Soviet style buildings.
National Theater. Named after one of the founders of the Romanian Theater.
There’s a miniature Arc d’ Triomphe here.
Nice broad walkways and parks. Chisinau is a very clean city.
Church. 95% of Moldovans identify as Eastern Orthodox Christians
Seems to me that there is SO MUCH to gain, for Russia, for Ukraine, and for the world at large if this war can end and everyone can get on with trade and investment and economic growth (not even to mention an end to all the senseless killing).
We’ll see. And we’ll do what we can to help.
Onward!
-JB
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