Secretary of State announces $55 million aid to fight the final phase of Russia’s terror, the cold winter
With each burst of explosions, the lights go out. It’s not a moment, as the sirens go off and everyone runs to the subway. The bombs fall directly on the transformers of power plants, leaving the cities in the deepest and most soulless darkness. The stoves go out, cell phones go out, the internet goes down.
Russia was able to stop the mighty Nazi army through the brutal winter of 1941, which the Germans had not prepared for, confident that they would take the country before summer’s end. All the Russians had to do was hold out until autumn came. And that’s what they’ve done this year.
By October 10, the war was in full swing as it approached nine months of life, but only 5% of the electrical infrastructure had been damaged. A month later that percentage had skyrocketed to 25% and only in the last week has it reached 30%. For Ukrainians, this will be the coldest and darkest winter of their lives.
If Russian tactics evolve, so will the American response. Until now they sent bullets, defense systems and spear throwers. Fuses, generators and transformers for power plants from next Tuesday. The winter turn was announced in Romania this Tuesday by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at the G7 meeting held as part of the NATO summit, where he encouraged other countries to imitate him. “We will continue to find additional support with our partners and allies to continue to find long-term solutions to restore and repair Ukraine’s energy grid,” the foreign ministry promised in a statement.
The $55 million high-voltage relief is just an emergency package to ease the cold and darkness in the hardest-hit communities. In Dnipro, a relatively safe area hosting refugees from Donbas, volunteers greet them with flashlights and huddle together during meetings. “How can we help them if we can’t even turn on the lights?” they asked Foreign Policy magazine.
The United States knows that the cold breaks the strongest will. He used it at Guantanamo against al-Qaeda prisoners he captured in Afghanistan, leaving them half-naked in deserted rooms before turning the air conditioning on full blast. Immigrants crossing the border also experience the deterrent effect of “the coolers”, as they call the detention centers, where many agree to be deported rather than await the asylum process. “It’s a problem, but nothing that can’t be solved,” Liudmyla Cherkez told the magazine, with that spirit of defiance that has impressed the world.
“Imagine if we had 80 million people without electricity in the US with winter just around the corner,” Admiral James Stavridis, former NATO commander, invited to reflect on MSNBC. “We know how to build electrical networks, and fast!” he encouraged. His words shrieked in the hearts of Puerto Ricans, as eleven months passed in the 51st bastard state of the American Union until the entire island was served again after the devastation of Hurricane María in September 2017. Was it a matter of will?
Ukrainians are about to see if political speeches become light. Since the Russian invasion in February, US aid has provided $145 million to repair, maintain and strengthen Ukraine’s energy sector, bring the natural gas market onto the European grid, improve the safety of nuclear power plants and reduce energy shortages.
The new package includes 2,200 generators that will be distributed to various communities and hospitals in collaboration with local authorities. The Kyivteploenergo electricity company, which supplies the capital with hot water and heating, will receive equipment to install a thousand emergency points where those who have lost power in their homes can turn to warm up, where only 22,000 homes have currently been restored. . And beyond that, the promise of renewable energies, the only solution to winning the war in the long run, this winter and the winter after.
Source: La Verdad
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