Two weeks ago, an appeal was made by the authorities in Ukraine's Zhytomyr region to their counterparts in Tallinn to provide much-needed aid to help them survive the harsh winter. The situation in the region has become increasingly dire due to Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy facilities.

Tallinn, which has already established strong connections with Zhytomyr region, responded to the appeal by sending generators and portable heaters.

"We have now sent dozens of electric generators, as well as diesel heaters. As I said, they are being sent to very specific locations in accordance with the request for assistance. The total cost of this shipment is approximately €40,000," said Mayor of Tallinn Peeter Raudsepp (Isamaa).

The items sent to Ukraine include both small generators that are capable of recharging and powering regular household appliances, as well as larger models with the ability to power an entire kindergarten.

Tallinn City Government admitted that the shipment is only a drop in the ocean when considering the full extent of aid Zhytomyr region requires. However, the Estonian capital's ability to provide aid is limited, and in order to deliver the items as quickly as possible, they had to be taken from Tallinn's strategic reserves.

"If we buy new ones for them, that will take more time," explained Tallinn Deputy Mayor Tiit Terrik (Center).

"We will give them our reserves and then buy new ones for ourselves. Within a month, we will be back to the same level we were at before sending the generators to Ukraine," Terrik explained.

Raudsepp explained that Tallinn had considered simply sending funds or purchasing new generators in Estonia to send to Ukraine. However, those ideas were quickly rejected due to the additional time they would have taken.

"The fact is that if we had transferred the money, Ukraine would have had to organize the purchases. If we started buying generators and portable heaters now, we would also have to carry out the procurement procedures ourselves," said Raudsepp.

The Tallinn mayor pointed out that due to the time that would take, the coldest part of the winter would be over before the items could get to Ukraine "and we would be too late."

Tallinn has reserves of a range of essential goods stored in warehouses in case of emergencies,, including beds, electric generators, large tents and also food. The city government noted that these stocks have to be constantly updated and increased.

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