Ukraine Says Will Restore Power to Crimea

Crimea, a dwelling to two million individuals, lost its main power supply in the middle of the night on Sunday after pylons were blown up in Ukraine’s Kherson region. In particular, it is dependent on Ukraine for most of its electricity. According to Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, the first stage of the power bridge between Russia’s Krasnodar region and Crimea will be commissioned on December 20.

The annexation was opposed by many Tatars, a Turkic-speaking Muslim community with a long history in Crimea, and they have since held numerous protests to complain of discrimination and intimidation which they say is meant to silence dissent. Two police officers were attacked by demonstrators near the site and a fix crew was thwarted by the demonstrators pushing for an economic blockade, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry in Kiev said Sunday.

The Ukrainian government said on Monday it has chose to temporarily suspend the movements of cargos across the contact line between Ukraine’s southern Kherson region and the Crimean peninsula. “We will defend the rights of the Crimean Tatar people and all Ukrainians who are living on occupied territory”.

“We are not satisfied with today’s status quo when the occupational authorities neglect basic rights of Crimea Tatars”, Poroshenko said, before making an indirect reference to the destruction of the electricity lines.

Moscow’s energy ministry said that some 938,000 residents of Crimea remained without electricity and Russian Federation was sending 300 mobile generators to the peninsula.

“We are trying to use generators but they cannot cover our needs”, he said, adding that marine animals like sea turtles were especially vulnerable.

While several pictures circulated over social media show the destroyed pylons with Ukrainian and Tatar flags draped around them, nobody has taken responsibility for what is being described as “an act of sabotage”. Russian-annexed Crimea has been cut off from Ukrainian electricity supplies as a result of the damage.

“Crimea is a territory of Ukraine”.

The leadership of Crimea declared Monday due to dire straits on the nonworking day. On Monday, activists were preventing repairs to the damaged pylons for a second day.

Ukrainian authorities have promised to restore the power supply within two to three days, the Hromadske news website reported.

A Crimean Tatar activist told Ukraine’s TV news broadcaster 112 Ukrayina that Russian Federation must release “political prisoners” and let their leader return to Crimea in exchange for repairs to the power lines.