As the temperature drops below freezing in Ukraine, Russia has launched wave after wave of missile attacks on the country's energy infrastructure in a bid to destroy morale and force the Ukrainians to sue for peace. FRANCE 24 correspondents Robert Parsons, Pauline Godart and Raid Abu Zaideh report from the newly liberated parts of Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, where Ukrainian electricians are battling to restore power to homes.
Hundreds of kilometres of war-damaged electricity cables are in need of urgent repair. Since the liberation of the villages east of Mykolaiv in early November, Ukrainian electricians have been working non-stop. The land around them is mined – a parting gift from the Russians.
With the onset of winter, temperatures are falling. The electricians are trying to work as fast as they can in a region where 90% of homes have been without electricity for 8-9 months.
Since October, the Russians have pulverised Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and its storage facilities.
Many of the trucks belonging to Mykolaiv’s regional energy company have been destroyed by Russian artillery fire. Before they withdrew from the area, the Russians sacked the depot and trashed what they couldn’t take.
“We try to quickly return electricity to this city and to these villages but after that we have to completely rebuild this network because we make our work only to deliver electricity to these villages – temporarily deliver. After that we have to rebuild and we need a big investment," says Vadim Danilkiv, Head of Mykolaiv Regional Energy company.
The total cost for the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war is estimated by the World Bank at around 600 billion euros and that is just a provisional figure. Who knows how long this war will continue and at what cost?
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