From September 15 to 19, 2024, a delegation of 15 Bundestag members and staff, led by Nils Gründer (FDP), visited Kyiv. The aim of this visit was to convey the current military and humanitarian needs of Ukraine, as well as to discuss the situation at the front and the threats posed by Russian aggression. The Ukrainian NGO “Transatlantic Dialogue Center” is collaborating with partner organization “LibMod” to promote communication and disseminate objective information about the conflict.
On the first day, the delegation met with the Committee on Energy, Housing, and Communal Services of the Verkhovna Rada (the Parliament) of Ukraine. This meeting provided participants with valuable insights into the current state of Ukraine’s energy system, the impact of Russian attacks, the winter preparation process, and the urgent needs of the sector.
Later, delegates engaged in a roundtable discussion with Ukrainian military experts: Mykhailo Samus, Director of the New Geopolitics Research Network; Mykola Bielieskov, Research Fellow at the National Institute for Strategic Studies and Senior Analyst at the Come Back Alive Foundation; and Andrii Ordynovych, retired colonel and former Deputy Military Representative to NATO. The meeting also featured representatives from the Office for Reform Support at the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Yuliia Marushevska and Taras Doronuk. Key topics included the potential permission to strike Russian territory with long-range missiles, the supply of ammunition for air defense, investment in arms production, and overall war strategy.
A significant part of the program was the visit to the Chernihiv region. The delegation visited the village of Yahidne, where Russian soldiers held 368 residents, nearly the entire population of the village, in a school as “human shields” for over a month in March 2022. Eyewitness Ivan Petrovych reported on the difficult conditions the villagers had to endure. In one room, ten individuals died due to suffocation and lack of medical care. Despite the challenging circumstances, the villagers maintained their sense of community and solidarity.
The delegation also visited the children’s hospital in Chernihiv, the only facility in the region providing advanced medical care. Due to repeated rocket attacks, the hospital had suffered significant damage. A newly installed solar system with 108 solar panels and an energy storage unit is now intended to power the critical medical equipment in the surgical department and support the facility’s energy independence.
Additionally, the delegation met with Vyacheslav Chaus, the head of the regional military administration of Chernihiv. He emphasized the need for cogeneration plants and air defense systems for civilian infrastructure to facilitate the return of children to school and stabilize the local economy.
Beyond these facilities, the delegation also visited other civilian sites that had suffered under Russian attacks, including the Dramatic Theater and the cardiology center.
This visit aimed not only to illustrate the situation on the ground but also to strengthen Germany’s support for Ukraine in these challenging times.
A notable event on the third day was a meeting with Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. The Ombudsman shared critical information regarding Ukrainian prisoners of war, the deportation of children, and the human rights situation in temporarily occupied territories. Following this, members of the German Bundestag visited a power plant, where they were briefed on the three levels of protection at such critical facilities.
The final meeting was with German Military Attaché to Ukraine, Robert Pröse, who shared his insights on Ukraine’s military developments.
