The “power blockade” of Crimea is over, at least in part. Last night Ukrenerho rebuilt the Kakhovska-Titan 220 megawatts electricity supply line.
Because of the Ukrainian authorities’ inaction regarding the de-occupation of Crimea, civic activists, including those from the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars, were compelled to resort to guerrilla methods. After the initiation of the peninsula’s food blockade, on the night before November 22, the activists blew up electric poles in Kherson oblast, disconnecting Crimea from Ukrainian power grid. Their primary demand was the release of political prisoners in Crimea. As a result, the occupied Ukrainian territory had been in the dark for two weeks – only strategic objects and Putin posters were illuminated, and common people became accustomed with blackouts.
But the initiators of the direct action were the first to lose their nerve. While initially they showed determination and also announced a “naval blockade,” now the leaders of the Mejlis have allowed the repairers to fix the damaged power line. “As a humanitarian disaster is brewing in Crimea, Dzhemilev and Chubarov are facing a strong pressure not from Ukraine, but from the international community – France and others, who do not understand us to the full extent,” said Lenur Isliamov, coordinator of the Crimean blockade, to the press. “The ones to suffer are hospitals, kindergartens and so on. Mustafa has agreed, and we bring online one power line, chosen by the government.” It is necessary to emphasize that the restored line is connected to the Crimean Titan enterprise, owned by oligarch Dmytro Firtash, who is now residing in Austria.
Andrii Klymenko, chief editor of BlackSeaNews web portal, asserted: “I want to applaud to the Kremlin – they are high-class professionals. One has to appreciate the beauty of the game, as they tricked everyone else. Apparently, someone’s friends have been personally coercing the stout Refat and Mustafa into that decision. The pressure held up to a press conference on Sunday – all according to their perverted political technologies... And on Monday, around 4 p.m. see the news: ‘The Federal Notary Chamber of Russia has renounced the tax claims to Roshen factory in Lipetsk, which amounted to 70 million rubles...’” wrote Klymenko on his Facebook page.
