One of the managers of the energy plant in Kharkiv follows news’s team to the village of Rossiiskaja, which is located about 10 kilometers from the front line outside the big city of Kharkiv. He gives us clear notice that the visit will only last for about 15 minutes. We must disturb the installers as little as possible, because they must also repair the power lines as quickly as possible. Half an hour before our arrival, they had seen a Russian surveillance drone flying over the site. The day before, Russkaja was hit by three powerful glide bombs, and house after house is more or less bombed out. In front of them are deep craters. FREQUENTLY ENCOUNTERS: Russian glide bombs caused extensive damage in the village of Russkaja. Photo: Jan Espen Kruse / news Five people were injured, two of them seriously. Although this village is not close to the front line, it is constantly being shelled. – After the Russians launched their offensive in the Kharkiv area in May, this village is unfortunately attacked two or three times a week, says Vladimir Klimtsjuk, who is head of department at the electricity board. Someone has to do the job A crane truck from the electricity company backs up against a post where a torn wire hangs down. REQUIRED: Igor is a crane operator on this car and says it’s a dangerous job, but that someone has to do it. Photo: Jan Espen Kruse / news One person controls the crane and another is driven up into the basket to replace the broken cable. – It’s dangerous when they shoot, when we’re at work it’s dangerous almost all the time, says the crane operator, whose name is Igor, to news. He promises that the electricity will be restored before long. Igor finds it difficult to work in this way, but adds: – Someone has to do this job. – Trying to survive Nearby, a man is repairing a broken roof. He says that there is an elderly person living in the house and that he cannot do it himself. Therefore, one of the neighbors steps in. MUST SURVIVE: Sergej helps one of the neighbors to repair the roof the day after the bomb attack. Photo: Jan Espen Kruse / news We ask why he lives in this village when it is so exposed to Russian attacks. – It is dangerous, but what should we do? We have to live somehow, try to survive, says the man called Sergej. Others say that those who live in places like this can no longer sell their homes, and thus few can afford to move to another place. – Real heroes The boss of the electricity company brags about his employees. He emphasizes that no one is forced to do this dangerous work. FAST: The most skilled fitters are sent out on the most dangerous jobs. Photo: Jan Espen Kruse / news They talk every day about whether they feel they are able to travel abroad. Because it is a job that is mentally demanding for each individual. – Yes, these are real heroes. They are doing a colossal job. And it is only when the electricity goes out that people fully understand how dependent they are on it, Klimtsjuk points out. BRAGGING: Vladimir Klimtsyuk is a department manager at the electricity utility and says that his employees are real heroes because of the work they do in dangerous conditions. Photo: Jan Espen Kruse / news He says that the Russian forces have destroyed all the power plants in Kharkiv county, so that electricity is no longer produced in the area. All the electricity now comes from other places. Therefore, there is a constant lack of electricity. The electricity is usually cut for many hours every single day, but it happens according to a schedule, so that the load will be as fair as possible for all residents. But the Russian bombs and rockets follow no timetable. Published 04/07/2024, at 17.54 Updated 04.07.2024, at 17.59
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The energy utility in Kharkiv repairs the network in a bombed-out village – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
