German Foreign Ministry considers blowing up of powerline towers in Ukraine criminal act

The recent blowing up of the power transmission line towers in Ukraine towers that caused a blackout in Crimea is a criminal act, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer told a news conference in Berlin on Monday.

"Attacks on the infrastructure facilities in Ukraine, which, inter alia, were aimed at disconnecting Crimea from the power grid are crimes," he said. "We expect the competent bodies in Ukraine to investigate them," Schaefer said. "They result in the violation of the actual agreements on the supply of electricity to Crimea," the German Foreign Ministry official said.

According to previous reports, Crimea was left without electricity supply from Ukraine on the night of November 22. According to information from Kiev, the blackout was caused by blowing up in Ukraine of towers of the power transmission line that runs to Crimea.

Currently, all major cities of Crimea are connected to the power supply network, but due to the insufficient local generation on the peninsula Crimea has had to introduce rolling blackouts. All social facilities in Crimea are connected to the backup power supply.

Up to 500 socially significant facilities throughout Crimea, such as hospitals, maternity homes, schools, and kindergartens, have been left without electricity, but have been connected to reserve power stations and generators where possible, Crimean authorities reported. More power generators and fuel are likely to be supplied to Crimea early next week to help with the situation.

 

According to previous reports, electricity supply was partially restored in Russia’s naval base Sevastopol as the city transferred to the use of its own power supply sources - gas-turbine plants and diesel generators. The schedule of hourly rotating connection of residential areas in each of the four districts of the city to power supply was introduced, the Russian Emergencies Ministry reported on Sunday. The electricity supply limit was 65 MW. The city’s life support systems and socially important facilities have been connected to the backup electric power supply sources.

The state of emergency introduced in Sevastopol will be kept until the electric power supply to the peninsula is fully restored. The forces and means of the Russian Emergencies Ministry’s main department for Sevastopol have been working in an emergency mode, ready to promptly respond to every possible incident...
 [tass.ru] 23/11/15
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Related:
 

• Crimea without power after pylons 'blown up'