Ukraine Says It Needs $1 Billion to Quickly Repair Energy Infrastructure

As Russian missile strikes have decimated Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Monday that Kyiv needs $1 billion to restore its power grid and heating systems.

“The approximate cost of urgent help for the power sector stands at $500 million,” Shmyahl told the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to Reuters. “The approximate cost of urgent help for the power sector stands at $500 million.”

Shmyhal said that Russian strikes have damaged half of Ukraine’s infrastructure facilities. On Saturday, Russia took out energy facilities in Odesa, and Ukrainian officials said the strikes left over 1.5 million people without electricity.

The US has been trying to rally its allies to give Ukraine more aid to help repair its energy infrastructure but has raised nothing near what Shmyhal is asking for. Even if Ukraine did acquire the $1 billion, it would likely still take months to repair the power grid, and Russian strikes will likely persist as Ukraine is increasing attacks inside Russian territory.

Russia didn’t start launching large-scale attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure until after the truck bombing of the Crimean bridge in October. Last week, drone attacks hit several air bases inside Russian territory, including targets hundreds of miles away from the Ukrainian border.

The Russian strikes have left Ukrainian civilians in a dire situation, as many are without power and heat amid freezing temperatures, and there’s no relief in sight as there’s little hope for peace talks. Ukrainian officials maintain their conditions for talks are for Russia to withdraw from the territory it has captured, which is a non-starter for Moscow.

The US and NATO continue to pledge support for Ukraine for “as long as it takes,” and the Pentagon reportedly now supports Ukrainian attacks inside Russia, which will lead to further escalation.

Source: Antiwar

Image: Alt-Market.us

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