As Russian rockets continue to strike Ukraine, Ukrainians are steeling themselves for a winter without light and heat. At the same time, one of President Zelenskyj’s advisers is in Oslo to ask for help to cope with the winter. – In this situation, we need equipment to help the Ukrainians survive, says Sergej Leschenko to news. He specifically asks for power generators and other help that can enable the Ukrainians to keep warm when the power goes out. Recently, Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko warned of the “worst winter since World War II” due to the devastation on the power grid. On Thursday, Klitschko wrote on Telegram that 70 percent of the Ukrainian capital was still without power after the Russian attacks. On Friday evening, President Zelenskyi says that over six million households in Ukraine are without electricity. Former head of the army, Odin Johannessen, tells news that a strong civilian population is essential for Ukraine to gain ground this winter. – A well-functioning Ukrainian civil society behind the military forces. A society that manages to support the forces in the fight against the occupiers, says Johannessen. This is what it looked like in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv after the Russian rocket attacks on Wednesday. Photo: STRINGER / Reuters – Almost unlivable conditions In Ukraine, aid workers from the Norwegian Norwegian Refugee Council also work to help people in the war-torn country. Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council Jan Egeland is in Kyiv and met the political leadership in the city on Friday. – They say that there are almost unlivable conditions in large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine, says Egeland to news. He adds: – I have visited several of these areas, and can agree with that assessment. The authorities are preparing to evacuate half a million new refugees westwards, away from these areas in the south and east of Ukraine, says Egeland. Residents of the city of Lviv in western Ukraine sit in a darkened cafe during a planned blackout due to the unstable power situation. Photo: YURIY DYACHYSHYN / AFP – What worries the authorities most about the refugee situation today? – That they will not be able to have electricity, heat supply and running water for large parts of the country. The experienced aid manager, who has witnessed many international crises, says that he has been to villages in eastern Ukraine where they have neither electricity nor heating options. – I saw older people. Many were lying in beds in destroyed houses, says Egeland. – Here in Kyiv we have electricity, right now. But the power can disappear in a moment. The port city of Odessa in the south of Ukraine was also blacked out on Wednesday after the Russian rocket attacks. Also asking for air defense In the interview with news, advisor Sergej Leschenko repeats Ukraine’s plea to the international community for more weapons, and not least – air defense. – This could mean that we can use our own energy infrastructure instead of replacing what is being destroyed by Putin, says Leschenko. Leschenko usually works with trains in Ukraine, and says he has also asked the Norwegian authorities for assistance with railways. He says that the Ukrainian authorities are working to create their own places on the railway network where people can come and warm themselves. – Here they can, among other things, warm up and charge mobile phones, says the adviser.
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Zelenskyj advisor asks for power generators and help with heating – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
