The drawn features, the dark mine in a pale room looking like an underground shelter: from Kiev, Volodymyr Zelensky set the tone, from the opening of the support conference for Ukraine, organized Tuesday, December 13 in Paris, that he co-chaired with Emmanuel Macron. “We must defeat the energy terror sown by Russialaunched the Ukrainian president. Generators have become as necessary as armored vehicles and body armor. »
After military or diplomatic support, humanitarian aid, to deal with the emergency. As freezing temperatures settle in Ukraine, the Russians have been stepping up strikes against civilian infrastructure since October, depriving millions of people of water, electricity and heating. “Russia, whose military weaknesses have come to light, has opted for a cynical strategy”denounced Mr. Macron, repeating that these strikes constituted “war crimes” who wouldn’t stay “not unpunished”. “Can you imagine half of France without electricity? »launched at his side Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, nearly one in two electrical installations have been damaged, and some 12 million inhabitants are forced to go without power for a good part of the day. To help the country hold out by the end of March 2023, the representatives of 48 countries and 24 international organizations have therefore pledged to provide initial emergency assistance: more than 1 billion euros have been pledged, including 415 million already allocated to the energy sector.
This is only the beginning: a coordination mechanism has been put in place to respond as quickly as possible to the needs formulated by Kyiv over the coming months. In addition to generators, Ukraine is demanding 50 million LED bulbs, a way of saving the equivalent of the annual production of a large nuclear reactor, at a time when its various sites, like that of Zaporijia, under Russian control, are themselves at the heart of the conflict.
“Strengthened support”
To repair or replace its electrical equipment targeted by the Russian forces, Ukraine also needs equipment, from the small spare part to the 40-ton transformer. “The terror against our power plants has caused us to use more gas than expected,” moreover confirmed the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, who estimates the additional gas needs at 2 billion cubic meters.
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