Riigikogu deputy speaker in Ukraine: Civilian situation extremely hard

The situation on the ground in Ukrainian cities razed to the ground by the Russian invasion, including Bucha and Irpin, both the scene of atrocities committed against civilians, is almost too heart-rending to recount, deputy speaker of the Riigikogu Hanno Pevkur (Reform) says.
"What I saw and heard during three days in Zhytomyr, Borodianka, Malyn, Bucha, Irpin and Kyiv has been extremely harsh," Pevkur said, following a working visit to the Zhytomyr and Kyiv districts which he was engaged in from last Sunday until Wednesday this week.
"There are simply no words to describe it, and the mind refuses to take it all in. For example, 70 percent of the city of Irpin is damaged and 50 percent rendered unusable," the deputy speaker added, according to a Riigikogu press release.
Pevkur added the sight of the ruins of a residence in an area with no discernible military targets as far as the eye could see, was particularly hard to take.
"In that house, four people, two of whom were children, lost their lives in a moment, as the result of a missile attack. Opposite the house is a rye field, where cornflowers are in bloom, as well as poppies, which in both Estonia and Ukraine commemorate victims of war."
Pevkur talked about the reconstruction of Ukraine during his meeting with representatives of the legislature and executive, and stressed that Estonia would help Ukraine restore its destroyed infrastructure.
Ukrainians are more united than ever before, he added, and would fight for their homeland until the final victory.
"It is our duty to support them in this and to help them to rebuild their country," Pevkur added.
While in Kyiv, the Riigikogu deputy speaker met with First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, Oleksandr Korniyenko (see cover image), and with Chairman of Ukraine-Estonia parliamentary friendship group Arsenii Pushkarenko, plus other members of the Verkhovna Rada.
Pevkur also met with Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov and Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov, along with the Deputy Minister of the Interior and the leaders of Zhytomyr and Kyiv Oblasts.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
Source: Riigikogu press office