As they struggle to maintain a power grid badly damaged by Russian missiles, officials in the Ukrainian capital Kiev say they have begun planning a previously unthinkable possibility: a complete blackout that would require the evacuation of the approximately 3 million residents who stay in the city.
The the situation is already so serious, with 40% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure damaged or destroyed, which municipal workers allow 1,000 heating shelters which can act as a bunker while the engineers try repair power plants bombed without the necessary equipment.
To try to prevent the electricity grid from failing completely, the Ukrainian national electricity company said Saturday that it will continue to impose blackouts. in seven regions.
The tremendous pressure on Ukraine’s ability to supply energy is a result of the Widespread bombing by Russian forces of critical energy infrastructure across the country, a tactic analysts say is used by Russian President Vladimir Putin when his troops have suffered repeated setbacks on the battlefield.
The damage caused by the Russian attacks causes new suffering to the Ukrainian civilian population and forces the authorities to deal with the possibility that further damage prevents them from providing basic services.
“We understand that if Russia continues with these attacks, we could lose our entire electricity system,” Roman Tkachuk, security director of the Kiev municipal government, said in an interview about the city.
twelve hours to go
Capital officials were informed that probably they would have at least 12 hours’ notice in case the network is about to fail. If it gets to that point, Tkachuk said, “we will start informing people and asking them to leave.”
According to Tkachuk, at least for now, the situation is manageable and there are no signs that large numbers of civilians are fleeing Kyiv. But that would change quickly if the services that depend on the city’s electricity cease to function.
“If there is no electricity, there will be no water or sewers“he said.” This is why the government and city administration are currently taking all possible measures to protect our electricity supply system.
With the arrival of winter, the city prepare shelters for warming which can also protect civilians from Russian missiles. Most are in educational facilities, but the authorities have asked for it your location is not reported accurate so that they do not become easy targets.
In one school, the basement had been stocked with bottled water, makeshift classrooms had been set up, and a fire engine was parked just outside the auditorium. Across the hall, next to a stack of disaster preparedness kits, was a clear reminder of the normalcy the school once had: a large Minnie Mouse poster.
When Russia launched its latest barrage of more than 50 cruise missiles on Monday, most were shot down, Ukrainian officials said. But who managed to reach the power stations and substations, thousands of people were immediately deprived of power.
On Friday, another Russian attack hit a corporate structure that distributes energy to homes. This is the 12th energy installation hit in the past month, according to the company.
Across the city, engineers worked to repair damaged electrical infrastructure, despite having no easy way to get it. hundreds of millions of dollars on computers that would need to completely reset the network. To reduce damage from future attacks, they protected the power plants with explosive walls.
On Saturday, the Ukrainian national electricity company, Ukrenergo, confirmed the need to continue with the blackouts, saying they were necessary to reduce the network loadensure the sustainable balance of the electricity system and prevent the recurrence of accidents after the electricity grids have been damaged by Russian missile and drone attacks ”.
According to the company, the cuts would affect Kiev and its surroundings, as well as the regions of Chernikov, Cherkasy, Kharkov, Poltava, Sumy and Zhytomyr.
Ukraine’s Western allies have reinforced their promises to equip the country more air defenses. However, getting it off the ground has been a challenge, and opposition to relief is emerging in the West as many countries face their own headwinds.
However, American and European leaders were undaunted.
On Friday, President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on a visit to Kiev that Washington’s support for Ukraine remained strong and that aid will continue to arrive after the midterm elections.
“I am confident that US support for Ukraine will be unwavering,” Sullivan told reporters in a conference room in the presidential office.
On Friday, the Defense Department announced the creation of a new command to oversee how the United States and its allies train and equip the Ukrainian military.
It also announced a new package of $ 400 million in security aid, bringing the US military aid to Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia on February 24 to a total of $ 18.9 billion.
The Pentagon’s new commitments show that the US expects the threat Russia poses to Ukraine and its neighbors will persist. for many years, current and former US senior officials said.
Also on Saturday, the Iranian foreign minister first acknowledged that his country had sent armed drones to Russia, although he said they had been delivered before Moscow invaded Ukraine.
During the war, but especially in recent weeks, Russia used Iranian-made drones to launch deadly attacks that devastated Ukrainian cities, according to Ukrainian and Western officials.
Iran has denied sending drones to Russia for use in Ukraine, and the Kremlin has denied using Iranian drones to attack civilians. But international demands for accountability have grown as Russia has carried out repeated deadly attacks.
The European Union and the United Kingdom have imposed new sanctions on Iran for attack drones and the United States is studying its own sanctions, in addition to those already in place for nuclear weapons issues.
According to Iranian state media, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Amirabdollahian on Saturday responded to allegations by Western countries that Iran had provided Russia with drones for use in Ukraine.
The deliveries in question took place months before the invasion, Amirabdollahian said. He did not elaborate on the types or quantities of drones supplied.
The statement seemed like an effort to protect Iran from even stronger sanctions from Western countries than those that have already deeply weakened its economy.
But the strong perception in Western capitals that Iran supported Russia’s war effort is unlikely to change.
Current and former US officials said Iran sent trainers to areas of Ukraine occupied by Russia to help Russian fighters manage drones. This collaboration underscores how ties between Iran and Russia have grown stronger as the Kremlin sought to compensate for its international isolation.
Iran has said it will not provide military equipment to any of the parties to the conflict in Ukraine, but has previously confirmed that a drone deal with Russia was part of a pre-invasion military deal with Ukraine.
c.2022 The New York Times Company
Source: Clarin
