(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Defeat After Defeat For Putin As Ukraine Resumes Electricity Exports [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-08 I entered "Putin" in the search bar of the picture library and two of the four results were this Ukraine has reclamed its place as a literal powerhouse in Europe. Putin’s Winter Strategy included freezing Ukrainians into submission and other European countries into dropping support for Ukraine. The attacks on the civilian electricity infrastructure in Ukraine also meant that the country’s considerable exports of electricity had to be reduced and eventually stopped. Today’s announcement that exports will be resumed is not only a defeat for Putin’s grand strategy of absorbiing Ukraine back into the Russkiy Mir but for his similar plan for Moldova. Electricity shortages and gas price rises there have formented discontent at the pro-EU government. The promise of more stable power supplies will help quiet things. Another dastardly Putin plot foiled! Ukraine has abundant natural resources and has provided power for Europe in one form or another since the 19tIh century. It’s coal provided fuel for the Imperial Navy’s steam ships and Russia’s railways. Later it was used to generate electricity. It’s oilfields were strategic assets by WWI. It’s gas has been exported by pipeline and used to generate electricity to add to the grid. Gas is seen as an intermediate measure towards net zero as it currently contribures to base load while renewables are installed. It produces half the CO2 and fewer contaminants compared to oil or coal so forms part of many countries’ plans to meet their climate commitments. Ukraine has proven offshore reserves in the Black Sea. Putin controls these through the occupation of Crimea. It’s major rivers were dammed in Soviet times to provide hydroelecticitywell as controlling irrigation to Crimea. The rivers and especially the lakes behing those dams provided abundant cooling water for nuclear power plants. They were also conveniently far enoughaway from Moscow and St Petersburg if anything went wrong (but see Chernobyl!!). Exports to Russia and increasingly west to Europe produced considerable income post independence. There are other legacies of Soviet days. Even in small villages, district heating systems were common for example. This had the fortunate effect of being quite fuel efficient. It also meant that the communal boilers and the gas or hot water pipe networks were vulnerable. These resources together with its agricultural and mineral exports, tourism. not to mention the talent its people have shown, will provide a prosperous future as one of the richer members of the EU. The prospect of that bright Summer has come at the cost of a dark Winter but even in the coldest days, there were signs of a Spring.. Putin committed a War Crime by deliberately targetting civilian electricity infrastructures with little direct military use. Power cuts hit cities and regions well away from the fighting. Electricity cuts meant the trams in the cities could not run so workers faced a truge home through dark streets. The only lighting was from flashlights or, more likely from cellphones which had the ever present worry of the battery running down with no mains electricity for the harger. Cuts could last for hours or even days even in those cities. Rotating cuts to conserve the grid were common. Generators in places like hospitals designed for intermitent emergency use only started to wear out. Ever ingenious, the government set up places with portable heating and generators so people could warm up and recharge their cellphones. These phones were not just stand in flashlights. Communications are essential for the welfare of the population — remember those scenes when Khakiv was liberatered. The central square was crowded after the Ukrainian army set up a cell tower and recharging stations. People had been cut off by retreating Russians destroying infrastructure. For the first time in days or weeks they were able to contact relatives to let them know they were safe and hear family news. The real heroes in this have been those whose dedication to the Ukrainian people in countering this Russian terrorism is perhaps equal to that of the warriors fighting the Russian Army. Repair crews had to work long long hours in the ever present danger of another strike. Like infantry led by generals they were managed by the “backroom” staff like those who planned the repairs and scheduled the blackouts, supported by logistics teams. And like their compatriots fighting, Ukraine’s allies stood up to help. European power and grid operating companies opened their warehouses to send replacements for destroyed equipment — from ceramic insulators to 100 ton transformers. From further away, Japan and others sent portable generators of all sizes — to run the lighting and charging at the refuges to replacements for hospital systems. There were also private donations, some notably considerate. One charity sent some of its hand cranked “washing machines” originally designed for third world areas of poverty. These provided a much needed morale boost of clean clothes for those in villages facing the prospect of long term cuts. One company donated tens of thousands of LED light bulbs. Replacing incandescent bulbs with those helped relieve demand on the system. This is another manifestation of the ultimate defeat Putin has already suffered. Individuals know their best friends are those who leap in to help in times of trouble. They know those who break into their home, assault them and throw them out to squat in their house, threatening to kill them if they try to return …. might not be their friend. Even if some may be relatives! Peoples of countries know the same lesson. Putin wanted to return Ukrainians to being “Little Russians” (as opposed to Belarus, the “White Russia” of the “three sisters”.) Instead Ukraine has been adopted by Europe with Fairy Godparents in most of the world. Putin is the Wicked Stepmother to Ukraine’s Snow White being rescued by the handsome prince and protected by several dwarves. [I’ll leave the casting of the roles between countries up to you!] This is one small step on the Ukrainians’ path to their future among a friendly European family. It is a path Putin makes them more determined to take with every shell and missile. Defeat after defeat after defeat…. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/8/2162820/-Defeat-After-Defeat-For-Putin-As-Ukraine-Resumes-Electricity-Exports Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/