Estonian interior minister manages to leave Kyiv before missile strike

TALLINN - Estonian Minister of the Interior Lauri Laanemets, who was on a one-day visit to Kyiv on Thursday, left the Ukrainian capital city just a few hours before yet another missile strike.

"Just a few hours after the officials of the Estonian embassy had sent us on our way at the railway station, they and Kyiv residents had to take cover from Russia's missile strikes for hours in shelters," Laanemets wrote on social media. There are currently problems with both water and electricity in Kyiv, he said.

"There is no doubt that it is Estonia's duty to help the Ukrainians in every way possible -- they are also fighting this war for us. But it is also the duty and responsibility of Estonia's leaders and officials to learn from the Ukrainians at every opportunity," the interior minister added.

At the start of 2023, Laanemets will present to the government a vision on how to develop civil protection in Estonia to ensure that the population is better protected in the event of a military attack or any other crisis.

"This long day in Kyiv, its environs and Irpin provided invaluable input. Our meetings with the interior minister, deputy interior minister and mayors of Kyiv and Irpin as well as with territorial defense units and first responders provided a much better picture of how state and municipal agencies and regular citizens can contribute to the society being more resilient and better protected even in an extreme crisis," the minister of the interior said.