Latvian President Visits Yahidne, Discusses Reconstruction Efforts in Ukrainian Regions

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics started his Ukraine visit on Friday, Nov. 24, by heading to the village of Yahidne in the northern Chernihiv region, where Russian troops confined local residents to a basement for a month during the occupation.

During a joint press conference with his Latvian counterpart in Kyiv on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his appreciation, stating, "I want to thank you for starting this visit with a trip to the village of Yahidne in the Chernihiv region. In this village, during the Russian occupation in 2022, a concentration camp was actually formed."

"The occupiers kept all the residents of the village in the basement of an ordinary school for more than three weeks. Ten people died in that basement," the President added.

Zelensky also mentioned Rinkevics had visited Chernihiv, where he pledged support for Chernihiv region's reconstruction.

Ukraine's President also highlighted potential cooperation in the energy sector and the need for assistance in rebuilding medical infrastructure, schools, and bomb shelters for educational facilities.

"I noted that there is potential for cooperation in the energy sector. We also need help in rebuilding medical infrastructure, schools, [equipping] bomb shelters for educational infrastructure," Zelensky added.

According to the Chernihiv regional military administration, Rinkevics said that Latvia plans to allocate EUR 15 million for the Chernihiv region over the next three years.

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