Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call for refugees not to return to Ukraine points out that the country’s economy and critical infrastructure are in a dire state. About author Foreign Policy economist Adam Tooze.
“If a country is demanding that its citizens literally stay abroad because it cannot provide basic infrastructure services at home, it is truly an existential statement,” he says.
According to Tuz, about 50% of the energy infrastructure in Ukraine has been disabled. Rocket attacks on strategic targets in Ukraine exacerbated the financial and economic problems of the state. The economist predicts that the situation will get worse at the beginning of this year.
According to the expert, GDP fell by 30-35% due to hostilities. The analyst believes that only Western subsidies saved Ukraine from falling into chaos. But Salt points out that even this is not enough to completely solve the problem of the stability of the financial system.
“At the moment the economic situation in Ukraine, especially the social situation in this cold weather, is becoming more and more serious. Literally every week,” he summed up.
According to Tuz, about 60% of Ukrainian citizens currently stay in their jobs, 40% of whom either became refugees or lost their jobs.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk also mentioned that Ukrainians should not leave Europe to return to their homeland.
“We have to get through the winter. Unfortunately the nets will not survive… Stay if possible and spend the winter abroad for now… We understand that the situation will get worse and we have to get through this winter. We will survive here, we will get through the winter and then we will think about everything else, “he said. .
Meanwhile, the EU understands that with the coming of winter, the influx of refugees will increase. In early December, Vit Rakusan, head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Czech Republic, who heads the union, said that European countries should prepare for this.
“We must be prepared for a possible wave of refugees from Ukraine due to the winter season and the destruction of infrastructure in this country,” he said.
European Commissioner for Internal Affairs, Ylva Johansson, had previously announced that the program for the admission of Ukrainian refugees to the EU would be valid until at least March 2024.
On December 17, a weather alert was declared across Ukraine. The next day, sirens sounded in the Kyiv-controlled areas of the Zaporozhye region, as well as in the Dnepropetrovsk, Poltava and Kharkiv regions.
On Saturday, Energoatom, the operator of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, said that all nine nuclear power plants operate in Ukraine, but the capacity of one of them has been limited.
“Unfortunately, at the moment, the capacity of one of the power units is limited to 600 MW,” says the company’s Telegram channel.
The organization explained that such a step was necessary because of “the power system’s reluctance to accept all possible electricity from it.” This is due to infrastructure damage.
On Friday, December 16, Ukrenergo declared a state of emergency due to infrastructure damage. On the same day, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, vice-president of Zelensky’s office, announced the start of emergency power cuts across Ukraine.
Already on December 18, the operator announced the continued operation of the electrical system. The operator’s Telegram channel shows that the volume of electricity consumption has increased compared to the previous day. It is emphasized that all oblenergos have consumption limits. If they are exceeded, emergency shutdowns will have to be used.
Gradually restore the work of all services and Kyiv authorities. The mayor of the capital, Vitali Klitschko, spoke about this on his Telegram channel.
“After the last bombardment, the city is returning the job of all services. In particular, the operation of the capital’s heat supply system was completely restarted. All heat source sources are operating normally. During the daytime, public services will work in separate houses where local problems related to heating may occur.
The United States is also involved in the repair of facilities. On December 16, State Department spokesman Ned Price announced the delivery of the first batch of American equipment to Ukraine for emergency repairs of power grid facilities. The supplies cost Washington about $13 million, according to Reuters.
On December 16, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the military had dealt a major blow to “the military command and control systems, the military-industrial complex and the energy facilities of Ukraine that provided them.” Target achieved, assigned objects hit. Russia began attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on October 10, in response to the terrorist attack on the Crimean bridge on October 8. Therefore, the country’s authorities are not able to constantly provide electricity, water and heat to its citizens.
Attacks on Ukraine’s energy system slowed the supply of ammunition to Kiev by 2-3 times. This was stated in the broadcast of Channel One on December 16 by Rodion Miroshnik, the former ambassador of the LPR in Moscow.
“We are now confident that the attacks on the energy system are paying off: First, the ammunition delivery time has slowed by about two or three times, which is felt on the front line,” he says.
According to him, in various directions “the intensity of the fire has become much less.”