NATO chief Rutte visits Yahidne, Chernihiv region, restored after the occupation, talks to schoolchildren in Chernihiv

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had visited the village of Yahidne in the Ivanovo territorial community of Chernihiv district, which was under Russian occupation for almost a month in 2022 and where Russian soldiers held hundreds of civilians in the basement of a local school for 27 days without water, food, and unsanitary conditions.

The trip took place on February 4 with the participation of the heads of the Chernihiv regional military administration, Vyacheslav Chaus, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andriy Sybiha.

"We went down to this basement together, where we talked with the people who were there… More than 60% of the community was destroyed, 10 out of 17 settlements were under occupation. At the same time, Yahidne today is an example of recovery. Grateful to Latvia for its contribution to reconstruction: modular houses, restoration of housing and communications," Sybiha wrote on Facebook on Thursday.

The parties also visited the 105th Border Guard Unit named after Prince Volodymyr the Great, got acquainted with its work, modern technologies for border protection and the use of unmanned systems.

"It is extremely important to visit such places - both for us and for diplomats of partner countries. In order to understand this war not from analytical reports, but directly from the military. We received up-to-date information about the situation on the battlefield and the needs of our Defense Forces. Ukraine has unique experience and is ready to share it. Ukraine is scaling up its own defense production, but needs further defense support from the Alliance and member states. These needs were voiced to the NATO Secretary General," the minister said.

Rutte also visited one of the critical infrastructure facilities and the SES invincibility point as part of the visit. "The final part of the program was communication with schoolchildren and students in Chernihiv. We talked about European and Euro-Atlantic integration, formats of cooperation with youth, academic exchanges and Ukraine’s foreign policy, the war, our resilience and the path to a just peace," Sybiha said.