Russia aims to make the coming winter unbearable for Ukrainians, and while there is no risk of famine, people are prepared for a difficult winter, Estonia's new ambassador to Ukraine said.
At the time Ambassador Tiina Intelmann, who presented her credentials to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month, moved to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv once again came under heavy fire, with Russia launching large-scale strikes on the city.
According to Intelmann, however, a major problem is that attacks are now taking place both at night and during the day.
"Some time ago, it was still viable to live relatively peacefully during the day and take shelter at night. Another thing is that, of course, there are fast drones, but there are also missiles, including ballistic missiles, so the security situation is quite complicated. Naturally, I am also concerned about ensuring that my team can work safely. How much I can actually guarantee that is another matter, but it is clear that we cannot take any reckless risks," Intelmann said.
According to Intelmann, it has become normal for air raid alerts to sound three or four times a night, making sleep impossible.
"This is a situation where people simply cannot sleep. One alert comes at midnight, just as someone has fallen asleep, another at around three in the morning and then another at six. Generally speaking, for people who have access to a shelter, I think it is wise to simply sleep there, because nobody can keep running up and down to a shelter three times a night for a fifth year. As for the daytime, today we again had an unusual situation where a missile attack took place right in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. These things do not happen every day," the ambassador said.
Intelmann believes Russia wants to terrorize people behind the front lines because there has been no progress on the battlefield.
"They are trying to make people flee the cities, perhaps even flee to other countries, to European Union countries. This is all intimidation and terrorist tactics, nothing else can be said about it," Intelmann said.
"They are attacking civilians and, of course, energy infrastructure and water systems to make the winter as difficult as possible. The Russian Foreign Ministry's advance warnings that diplomats should leave because the security situation is going to become very, very bad are also part of the intimidation and pressure," the ambassador added.
According to Intelmann, Kyiv is already experiencing electricity and water outages, but people have prepared for them.
"Naturally, people already have independent systems to supply themselves with electricity. As for water, people simply have to stock up on water in their apartments. This is not the first time these things have happened," Intelmann went on.
Intelmann believes Russia's threats of nuclear war should be taken seriously, but there is no reason to panic, as the enemy uses various methods to create anxiety.
Ukraine's economy is currently stable, the ambassador added.
"If we consider that this is wartime, Ukrainians are not actually facing starvation. They are able to feed themselves. We also know that they cannot currently export their produce, so there is no need to fear hunger. However, the problem is that the Russians are destroying warehouses. Much of the food and medicine that has been imported and stored in warehouses is being destroyed. Ukrainians now have to consider how much they import, bringing in smaller quantities and perhaps keeping necessary reserves somewhere in other countries. In short, their own people will not starve. It will certainly be a difficult winter, and it will be cold," Intelmann said.
Intelmann has also served as Estonia's representative to the United Nations. At the recently concluded UN week, Ukraine once again had high hopes and delivered a powerful speech, but no major promises were made.
"The UN's best years are behind it. I do not know where this organization is heading, but it has funding problems and, more generally, a political problem because there is no political consensus. If we look at the Security Council meeting on Ukraine, the expression of solidarity took place outside the Security Council chamber. Yet we know that the Security Council is supposed to be the body that resolves questions of war and peace. Now we see attempts to resolve these questions of war and peace outside the Security Council chamber. This clearly shows that the organization is unable to fulfill the tasks entrusted to it," the ambassador said.
"The strength of this organization depends on how willing its member states are to work together, and right now we do not see that willingness. There are large countries that simply do not want to contribute to multilateral cooperation, and small countries that are willing to contribute but lack the leverage to do so," Intelmann concluded.
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