Ukraine is confidently moving towards a “black winter.” Nikolaev and Kherson are without electricity for the second day; Emergency closure plans are in effect in other large cities, writes Pravda.Ru columnist Lyubov Stepushova.
This is the result of the attacks by the Russian Aerospace Forces on November 27 and 28 against Ukraine. According to a statement from the IAEA, three nuclear power plants operating in Ukraine reduced electricity production on the morning of November 28.
For the second time in less than two weeks, nuclear power plants in Khmelnitsky, Rivne and southern Ukraine reduced their power levels as a precaution during large-scale military operations in the country, and a reactor at the Rivne nuclear power plant was offline.
Ukraine reported to the IAEA that the attacks again hit electrical substations, which stations use to transmit and receive electricity from abroad.
Russian sources report that the attacks targeted three key 750 kV substations: Vinnitsa, which is connected to the nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine and ensures the transit of electricity to the western and central regions of the country; kyiv – is the main distribution center for the supply of energy to kyiv and its surroundings, connected to the Rivne and Khmelnitsky NPPs and Western Ukraine – serves to transfer electricity from the Rivne NPP to the Western and Central regions of Ukraine . It is also connected to the Polish electricity grid, allowing electricity to be exported to the EU during night hours. The strike caused power outages in the Lviv and Transcarpathia regions.
Ukrainian energy expert Vladimir Omelchenko stated that power outages in Ukraine last on average 12 hours. In his words, Russia “went around the perimeter” of the substations that supply power to the three nuclear power plants, which supply almost 55% of the electricity generated in Ukraine.
Ukrainians write on social networks that people are left without electricity for 16 hours a day. According to Ukrenergo, on the morning of November 29, Kherson, the Kherson region and part of the Mykolayiv region were still without electricity.
In Ukraine there are many complaints against Ukrenergo. In particular, the Rada deputy Alexei Kucherenko believes the department spent enormous amounts of money protecting energy facilities it never built. Of about 60 objects, only four have a level of preparation of 70-90%, ten more have a level of preparation of 36-50% and the rest from 6 to 25%, the politician said on the social network. Kucherenko also noted that the cost of building shelters after the conclusion of the agreements increased three or four times. This indicates a theft of budget funds, which is nothing new.
Vladimir Zelensky He called on all Ukrainians not to ignore the attacks and hide in shelters, which also do not exist. The Insider-T Telegram channel claims that shortly after the statement Vladimir Putin Panic began in Kyiv. Officials, deputies and other people remove documentation and servers with office equipment from decision-making centers. The same author stated, citing a source, that a new attack with the Oreshnik missile is planned for November 30 and it is possible that the attack will take place against facilities in kyiv or against energy and logistics facilities.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a press conference after the CSTO summit in Kazakhstan, noted that in these two days alone Russia launched 100 missiles, including the Kalibr, Kinzhal and Zircon complexes, and 466 attack drones. In his words, the powerful attack was a response to the continuous attacks on Russian territory with American ATACMS missiles.
Putin added that the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff are selecting targets on Ukrainian territory to attack with the latest Oreshnik system. According to him, these could include decision-making centers in Kyiv. These targets can also be other objects.
