First Estonian Killed in War in Ukraine

Ivo Jurak, a former officer of the Estonian Defence Forces, has been killed near Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast. 

As Postimees news outlet reports, Jurak was killed as a result of artillery shelling on Tuesday, 7 March 2023.

As per the information available, he was the first Estonian to die in the war in Ukraine. 

Jurak had been serving in the Ukrainian International Legion since the autumn of 2022. 

Bakhmut remains an area of the fiercest battles in Ukraine for the last few months. 

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the Ukrainian defence of Bakhmut might fall into Russian hands in the coming days, but this would not necessarily be a turning point in the war.