“The situation remains very difficult,” says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj about the situation in the Black Sea city of Odessa. The Russian army has again bombed targets in many parts of Ukraine, and the airstrikes have once again targeted the country’s energy infrastructure.
And again the power went out in many places. In the capital Kiev, for example, but also in the regions of Lviv, Vinnytsia, Ternopil, Chernovyts, Transcarpathia, Sumy and Dnepropetrovsk. And in Odessa, the “Paris of the East”, as the proud residents call the city with its rich culture and magnificent architecture.
Odessa was spared from major attacks for a long time
Odessa was also repeatedly attacked by Russia in the past months of the war, but the damage and number of casualties were usually lower than in other parts of the country. But now, since the increasing number of attacks on the city since the beginning of last week, people’s lives are changing. It’s literally getting dark.
The power grid in the region was severely damaged, reports the state agency Unian. Utility DTEK has dispatched more than 200 teams to restore power, but they too will be busy for a long time. “According to preliminary forecasts, the restoration of power plants in the Odessa region will take much longer than in previous times after enemy shelling,” the company said. “It’s not about days or weeks, rather two to three months are not ruled out.”
Around a million people lived in the city before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, more than twice as many in the region. Nobody knows exactly how many there are now. The Ukrainian government assumes that around 1.5 million women, children and men are now in the dark.
Winter hasn’t really started yet
Temperatures in the south of Ukraine are currently just above freezing, and sometimes below at night. Snowfall is forecast for the coming days. And winter is just beginning. For people, the power failure means life in the cold and darkness – and not only that: like the heat supply, the water supply can only run if pumps are supplied with electricity, the same applies to sewage disposal. In addition, frozen water can cause the pipes to burst. Mobile phones and the Internet also do not work without electricity. Attacks on the power supply trigger a domino effect. It is the Russian tactic to wear down the population.
“Now we have to remember that we are Ukrainians. We are unbreakable and invincible,” DTEK appealed to the perseverance of the people in Odessa and the surrounding area. Efforts are being made to supply critical infrastructure such as hospitals with electricity.
How great the suffering of the population is can hardly be predicted. If possible, people should leave the city temporarily, according to the electricity supplier.
everyday life in the dark
Those who stay are apparently (still) coming to terms with the situation. Photos from international press agencies from the past few days show everyday life in the dark at night. Fully occupied buses, the windows fogged up, make their rounds through the city center. People walk through the darkness guided only by the beam of their flashlights. In complete darkness, only the headlights and taillights of the cars provide some orientation. And only a few shops still have lights on. Happy is he who calls an emergency generator his own.
The day after darkness once again fell over Odessa, a photographer captured an almost bizarre everyday scene: people gather on the shore of the Black Sea to watch the raging water pounding the walls of the beach promenade. And in a few hours it will be dark again.
The “Pearl of the Black Sea” – another name for the city of millions – is also by far the most important port for the Ukraine. But a port without electricity is just a largely useless collection of quay walls and gantry cranes. Operations were temporarily suspended after the Russian attacks. It was not until Monday morning that the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure announced that operations were up and running again. As far as it goes. Good news, especially for grain exporters.
“Light Will Overcome Darkness”
The Ukrainian government has set up around 4,000 warming rooms across the country to provide the population with electricity, water, first aid, heat and the Internet. President Zelenskyj calls these contact points in schools, town halls or simple tents “invincibility centers”. In the city of Odessa alone, the government map shows almost 100 of these points, plus there are just as many “responsible shops” that offer people from the neighborhood electricity, for example to charge their cell phones or to make tea. The light of solidarity in Odessa is still shining.
And elsewhere, too, there is a slight glimmer of hope. According to their own statements, the DTEK teams have managed to stabilize the energy grid in the region to some extent. Around 300,000 people should now be able to be supplied with electrical energy again, at least temporarily. DTEK writes to Telegram, knowing that many people in Odessa will not be able to read it: “The light will definitely overcome the darkness!”
Sources: Unian, DTEK, “Invincibility Centers”, News agencies DPA and AFP