Kherson blasts prompt blackout and emergencies — Crimea

Ukrainian riot police were dispatched to the site, one of whom was stabbed during skirmishes with the fascist group.

Crimean authorities said they had managed to partially reconnect the cities of Simferopol, Yalta and Sevastopol using generators.

If “we get confirmation that we have access, we can start restoring the lines as soon as tomorrow”, said Vsevolod Kovalchuk, the acting head of state power supplier Ukrenergo, which has said it is holding talks with the activists.

Ukraine’s current power supply deal with Crimea expires on December 31.

“This morning, maximum consumption in the Crimean federal district is about 800 MW [megawatts] at such air temperatures”, said Sergei Yegorov, Crimea’s Fuel and Energy Minister.

The first two out of four projected power lines were to be launched into operation before the end of the year, supplying electricity from mainland Russia, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Friday, Kommersant reported.

Crimea still depends on Ukraine for its electricity even after its annexation by Russian Federation in March previous year, a move which paved the way for the uprising in eastern Ukraine that has now killed more than 8 000 people.

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

Ukrainian authorities say activists tried to block efforts to fix the pylon, and that the damage seen is likely a result of shelling of explosive devices.

The ministry said that a state of emergency had been declared in Crimea.

In an eerie reminder of a possible nuclear catastrophe, a senior Ukrainian energy official revealed that the attack on transmission towers that cut off the delivery of electricity from Ukraine to Crimea also created an emergency situation at nuclear power plants.

“I would like to emphasise that Ukraine will respond in similar ways”, he said.

Ukraine’s Border Guard Service, in response to Kiva’s comments, reported they saw no approach of Russian troops or equipment on the border.

“Attacks on Ukraine’s public infrastructure, including that providing Crimea with electricity, are criminal acts”.