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Ukraine – Switching The Lights Off
The careful destruction of energy systems in Ukraine continues.
From today's clobber list as provided by the Defense Ministry of Russia:
On 17 November, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched a concentrated strike, using high-precision long-range air-, sea- and ground-based weapons, at the facilities of military control, defence industry, as well as related fuel and energy infrastructure of Ukraine.
The goals of the strike have been reached.
All the missiles have accurately stricken the assigned facilities.
I have no idea if the last line is true but it does not matter much.
The targeting of 330 kilovolt transformers in various switching stations has cut some 50% of the distribution capability of Ukraine's electricity network. These transformers weigh up to 200 tons. There are no replacements. You do not buy them at the next corner but will have to order them with years of lead time. As far as I can tell Russia is currently the only producer of transformers of that type.
Isn't it a war crime to destroy the infrastructure that supplies civilians?
It depends. If the infrastructure is used exclusively for civilian purpose the destruction is illegal. But the electricity and transport infrastructure in Ukraine is used for civilian AND military purposes. In a recent Politico piece Ukrainian officials are even confirming that:
Ukraine tells allies it may not be able to recover from more Russian attacks on energy systems:
An unreliable energy sector could have deadly consequences, Ukrainian officials say. In recent conversations, they’ve added that it could halt food production and transport operations — critical services needed to support military operations.
The clobber list also includes this curious item:
The strike has resulted in the neutralisation of the production capacities for nuclear weaponry.
I wonder where and what that has been:
One depot of artillery armament, delivered by western countries and prepared for being sent to troops, has been destroyed.
The redeployment of the reserve forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), and the delivery of foreign armament to operations areas have been frustrated.
The last sentence describes the real purpose of the attacks on the energy systems.
The lack of energy is degrading the railway network that brings weapons from the west to the eastern front. It makes redeployment of units from one front section to another very difficult and time consuming. It will give the Russian forces the advantage when they change the Schwerpunkt of their attacks from one corner of the frontline to another.
Another effect of the strikes on the electricity systems and the blackouts in the big cities that follow them is a renewed stream of refugees that will want reach western Europe. It will over time change the public opinion and the political priorities of those countries. If they fail to end the war they will have to carry the burden.
@ catdog | Nov 18 2022 16:07 utc | 25
To this, I am pasting here as a possible answer a post from another thread that I saved because I find this answer interesting and think it is possible.
[…]
“Attacks on Ukrainian railroads and critical infrastructure prevent Russian oligarchs from delivering, Sivkov said.
Ukrainian railroad infrastructure has not yet been destroyed because Russian, Ukrainian and Western oligarchs are interested in it and continue to make money together with business plans that have not changed since the beginning of the NWO.
Konstantin Sivkov, deputy president of the Russian Academy of Rocket and Artillery Forces, stated this in ORT.
According to Sivkov, Russian titanium is supplied to the West via Ukrainian railroads, on which a number of industries, including the military, crucially depend.
“Under the existing sanctions, which everyone must abide by, there is only one “gray” link connecting Russia and Europe. That is the Ukrainian railroads.
Russia produces 87% of the world’s titanium. All this titanium used to be used for the needs of the Soviet Union – submarines according to the American classification “Alpha”, according to ours – “Lira” of the 705. 3.5 thousand tons of titanium. Americans were shocked, because titanium is considered equal in value to gold.
After the destruction of our country by the thieving nomenclature of the Soviet Union, titanium was “not needed” here, because the West, especially the United States, had an interest in getting this titanium. All the titanium went to the West.
They started making airplane wings out of titanium, the Excalibur shells for the M777 gun used against us today are made out of our titanium. If titanium supplies are stopped now, then all this will stop. This is worse than gas, because the construction of the latest fighter planes depends on titanium, among other things.
Therefore, our oligarchy, the Ukrainian oligarchy and the West have an objective interest in ensuring that this rail link works smoothly,” Sivkov said.
Most (90%) of Western military and material aid to the Kiev regime, which lost more than 70% of available weapons on February 24, comes by rail from western Ukraine (Lviv), which borders Poland and Slovakia.
Vulnerabilities – three bridge crossings within the range of tactical missiles and air forces, which can be destroyed by three pinpoint attacks at known coordinates. In this case, communications supporting the viability and military stability of the Ukrainian armed forces and the regime as a whole will be destroyed, with the prospect of recovery being at least a month or two.
Alternative transportation by road cannot compensate for the logistical disaster. However, this is not happening, just as many companies in the basic economic and defense structure controlled by Kiev are dodging missile and bomb attacks.
Export goods and products manufactured in the enterprises of Ukrainian oligarchs and their Russian partners are also exported in the opposite direction, to the West, via the aforementioned railroad lines. After the blockade of air transport, maritime transport and international automobile transport, the railroad, exempted from Western sanctions, has remained the only logistic export-import link.
Rear Admiral John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, stated that contrary to the logic of hostilities, U.S. intelligence agencies have not recorded a single attempt by Russian forces and the LDNR to block the flow of American and European weapons available to front-line units of Ukraine’s armed forces from late February to mid-April.
Probably, this explains the “unclear” attitude of the majority of the Russian oligarchy and many of the most influential personalities in the Russian Forbes list towards the hybrid aggression of the U.S. and the EU against Russia, including its most sensitive component – the fighting in Ukraine – and this also explains the strange course of the special operation.
The country needs to know its “heroes”…”
Posted by: Bob Jenkins | Nov 17 2022 17:15 utc
Posted by: oldwoman | Nov 18 2022 18:19 utc | 73
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