The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is allocating €50 000 from its own resources to the Energy Support Fund to help restore Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and €300 000 through multilateral humanitarian aid organisations to provide humanitarian aid.
“One of Russia’s goals in the coming winter is to continue its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in order to bring down Ukraine’s motivation to fight back,” Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said. With the attacks of last winter, at least 50% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been damaged and is more vulnerable than last year. “Attacks on infrastructure have already begun and in October, Russians attacked Ukraine at least 60 times with missiles and drones, including 34 attacks on power stations,” Tsahkna said. There have also been attacks on oil refineries, warehouses that store spare parts, and nuclear facilities. “We are giving Ukraine money so that they are able to repair their infrastructure under constant attacks and survive the winter.”
To support Ukraine, the European Commission and the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine have established the Energy Support Fund under the Energy Community, aimed at funding the urgent needs of Ukraine’s energy companies, such as buying spare parts, obtaining fuel supplies, commissioning repair works etc.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is allocating €300 000 from its own funds to international humanitarian aid organisations, helping to cover regions and activities in Ukraine that Estonia cannot reach through bilateral channels, in order to expand the reach of Estonia’s contribution and support a more efficient coordination of humanitarian activities in Ukraine. “With this allocation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is providing support through the humanitarian organisations of the UN to help the most vulnerable social groups, women and girls, and to support the initiatives of local aid organisations. The allocation also goes to the International Committee of the Red Cross to contribute to searching for people who have gone missing in the war,” Tsahkna said.
The bilateral humanitarian aid Estonia has sent to Ukraine includes demining equipment, aid for repairing energy systems, transport vehicles and rescue equipment. Estonia is also contributing to cash-based assistance with strategic humanitarian aid partners in Ukraine and to repairing schools and centres for internally displaced people.