Second Ukrainian restaurant set on fire in Estonia in a week
5 February 2025 01:15
The warehouse of the Ukrainian restaurant Faina Ukraina was set on fire in Tallinn. Unknown persons first broke down the gate of the warehouse and then set it on fire. This was the second arson attack on a Ukrainian restaurant in the city in just a week. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to ERR.
The fire destroyed furniture and appliances that the owners planned to use to open a second restaurant.
According to the owner’s preliminary estimate, the damage exceeds 18,000 euros.
According to law enforcement agencies, there is every reason to believe that the fire was caused by arson. Rynet Juuse, the operational manager of the Idaho Prefecture, said:
“Two Ukrainian restaurants have been set on fire in a short period of time, and the police are investigating them with the utmost seriousness. We currently have no reason to believe that the two cases are related. All the circumstances of the incident will be established in the course of the criminal proceedings.”
Circumstances of the arson attack
The owner of the restaurant, Myroslav Pisarevsky, said that the warehouse where the property was stored was broken into before the arson. He said:
“In fact, we were going to open a second cafe, and the equipment and inventory were in that warehouse. We had this warehouse for a year and a half.”
Faina Ukraina posted a message on social media:
“There is no doubt of deliberate actions. The gate was broken and opened, and then there was an arson attack. A lot of restaurant equipment and furniture burned down. Only a preliminary estimate with the police showed that 13-15 thousand euros worth of property was destroyed. In fact, it could be much more, because the count is still ongoing. Unfortunately, we had no insurance.”
No one was injured in the fire. The fire was extinguished by the Kunda rescuers.
The second arson in a week
This was the second arson attack in the last week. As reported by ERR, on the night of January 31, the Ukrainian restaurant Slava Ukraina, located near the Baltic Railway Station, was set on fire in Tallinn.
On social media, Faina Ukraina noted:
“So someone has burned down our dreams of opening a second restaurant… At least it won’t happen soon. This is how someone sets fire to Ukrainian establishments in Estonia. There is no doubt that the events are connected. First Resto Slava, now we are. So who’s next?”
Police and rescuers continue to investigate, checking for possible links between the arsons. The owners of Ukrainian restaurants hope that the crimes will be solved quickly and the perpetrators will be punished.
