Tsakhna was on an official visit to Ukraine, which took in a kindergarten, built at Ovruch, Zhytomyr Oblast, using Estonian funds and know-how.

The finished kindergarten is in fact the largest public-private partnership to have been completed in Estonia's history so far.

The minister said: "Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, 484 children have been killed, nearly 1,000 injured and 19,000 abducted and sold to Russia. We do not know the fate of the children of the occupied territories."

"These are not just numbers: every child must be at the heart of what we do," said Tsahkna at the opening of the kindergarten. "We have to stand up for the future and the safety of Ukrainian children, and the construction of the kindergarten is one way to protect them. No child must suffer under Russian aggression and terror," the minister went on, via a press release.

The kindergarten for local children in Ovruch, Zhytomyr Oblast, which was built in cooperation between the Estonian public and private sectors.

Meanwhile Andrea Kivi, Head of Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV), said: "Although it is not easy to build a facility in a country in war, it is very symbolic that Estonia's first project is a kindergarten. We support Ukraine in building its future by giving their children the opportunity to learn in a safe and inspiring environment."

Estonian projects aimed at the reconstruction of Ukraine are being managed by ESTDEV.

The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs allocated €2.7 million towards the first construction phase of the project.

With the completion of the Ovruch kindergarten, Estonia became one of the first countries to complete an educational building as part of the reconstruction of Ukraine.

The first phase of the construction included the completion of four group rooms, common areas, a playground and an air raid shelter, without which, sadly, no kindergarten in Ukraine can operate.

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