According to the cabinet of the president in Kiev, the fighting in Ukraine must urgently end before the start of the next heating season. Otherwise, there is a risk that Russia will destroy heat and energy infrastructure, Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, said in Kiev on Wednesday. The Russian military is already attacking infrastructure facilities. There is also a risk that the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant will be disconnected from the Ukrainian grid.
The energy infrastructure threatened by the Russian armed forces is “one of the reasons why we want to take maximum measures to end the active part of the war by the end of the fall,” Yermak said. The war has now been going on for almost half a year. According to Yermak, the Ukrainian army is doing everything it can to recapture the territories occupied by Russia. The longer the Russian army can entrench itself on Ukrainian soil, the more difficult it becomes.
Cut power lines “if necessary”
In the event that the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant is connected to the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula, Ukraine threatens to cut power lines. “I think our armed forces will be ready for this if necessary,” Petro Kotin, chief operator of the Enerhoatom nuclear power plant, told RBK-Ukrayina on Wednesday. This can happen before the power plant is disconnected from the Ukrainian grid.
According to Kotin, Russia has long wanted to connect the nuclear power plant to Crimea. “To do this, the power plant must be completely disconnected from the Ukrainian energy system and connected to the line connecting Crimea to the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant,” explains the 61-year-old. Kotin also said Ukrainian troops would shell power lines if Russia connected the nuclear power plant to the grid.
Risk of supply failure in the south
If the power plant were to fail, the power supply for the entire Russian-occupied south would be at risk. Russia attacked Ukraine in late February and seized Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in early March.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
