A Russian drone strike has hit the residence of the Estonian ambassador Annely Kolk in Kyiv.
During the attack on the evening of November 7, the ambassador and her partner were in the shelter underneath the building. They were not harmed.
Estonian foreign affairs minister Margus Tsahkna said on November 8 that Kolk was not injured but added that “no one is safe in Ukraine until Russia stops its aggression”.
He called for Western allies to send more air defences to Ukraine to protect its residents.
“We must not get used to this,” he said regarding the latest attack on the high-rise building located in Kyiv’s Pechersk district.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal also commented on the strike on a post on X, saying: “Yesterday, Russia’s drone attack hit Estonia’s Ambassador’s house in Kyiv.”
Ukraine foreign affairs minister Michal also pleaded for more air defence for Ukraine, adding the country would benefit from “removed weapon restrictions to protect its people against the aggressor”.
Early yesterday, the building where #Estonian amb @AnnelyKolk lives in #Kyiv was hit by a Russian drone.
She was lucky not to be harmed.No one is safe in #Ukraine until Russia stops its aggression. 🇺🇦needs more air defense to protect its residents.
We must not get used to this. pic.twitter.com/bUTz3c5AT6— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) November 8, 2024
Also on November 8, the Ukrainian defence ministry announced it would receive air-defence missiles from the Estonian defence company Frankenburg Technology for testing.
The first are expected to arrive by the end of 2024 and are specifically designed to counter drones and can intercept targets at altitudes of up to two kilometres.
According to the UK Ministry of Defence, Russia had launched around 2,000 one-way unmanned attack Aerial Vehicles (OWA UAVs) against Ukraine in October alone, some 700 more than in September and “increasing significantly for the third month in a row”.
The ministry said it expected such figures “will become normal”.
On the evening of November 7, a drone strike on Kyiv damaged structures in six city districts and injured at least two people. Air defences shot down around 30 Russian drones in the vicinity of Kyiv, according to local reports.