Today at 14:01
he Council of European Union Energy Ministers at an emergency meeting chaired by the Czech Republic discussed the situation with Ukraine’s energy security in connection with yesterday’s massive shelling by Russia.
Minister of Energy of Ukraine German Galushchenko in his online address to the participants of the emergency meeting stressed that on November 23, Russia fired about 70 missiles at Ukraine, of which 51 were intercepted. Unfortunately, others hit energy infrastructure facilities, in particular, thermal generation, as well as hub substations. This shelling affected not only the energy system of Ukraine but also that of neighboring Moldova.
“Yesterday’s attack had serious consequences. There was a blackout. All nuclear power plants of Ukraine were de-energized. This is the first time when all four Ukrainian NPPs were de-energized simultaneously,” emphasized German Galushchenko.
The Minister stressed that power engineers started repairs immediately after the shelling. At the same time, given the scale of destruction, the restoration work will take some time.
European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson called on the EU countries to engage more effectively in providing assistance to the Ukrainian energy sector, stressing the particular importance of such support in the winter period.
“Russia cynically destroys Ukraine’s infrastructure during the winter season. Yesterday’s decision of the European Parliament to recognize Russia as a terrorist state went straight to the heart of the matter – it is indeed a terrorist state,” emphasized German Galushchenko.
The Minister drew attention to the consequences of yesterday’s attack. It is not the first time that Russia de-energizes Ukrainian NPPs – due to Russian shelling Zaporizhzhya NPP occupied by Russians was blacked out more than 5 times. In addition, as a result of Russian attacks on November 15, the power supply to Khmelnytskyi NPP had been cut off. Yesterday for the first time all four Ukrainian NPPs were de-energized simultaneously.
“The world has never seen so many NPP units simultaneously blacked out. Leaving such attacks of the terrorist country unanswered means encouraging Russians to strike more and more,” he stressed.
The Head of the Ministry of Energy emphasized that this situation poses a threat not only to Ukraine but also to the entire European continent.
German Galushchenko called on the EU to develop a list of ultra-harsh measures to be applied automatically should such Russian terror continue.
“These measures should have a powerful deterrent effect and be put into action in case of repeated massive attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure,” he stressed.
German Galushchenko also underlined the importance of suspending Russia’s rights and privileges within the IAEA. In addition, it is necessary to clearly indicate the role and responsibility of Rosatom in the occupation of ZNPP and planning attacks on all Ukrainian nuclear facilities.
The Head of the Ministry of Energy also called on the European community to reassess cooperation with Rosatom in terms of energy security of the EU and refrain from launching new projects with the Russian company and its subsidiaries.
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