Crimean authorities rushed to connect hospitals and other vital infrastructure to reserve power stations and generators late on Saturday after the four main transmission lines from Ukraine were cut off in an apparent act of sabotage. The regional energy ministry has created an emergency response center to deal with the power cut.
"Crimea has been completely cut off," the Krymenergo energy company's director Viktor Plakida told TASS, adding that he could not immediately provide any more details.
pic.twitter.com/TxRwuritT6— ATR (@ATR__Official) November 21, 2015
Под #АП приехал #Автомайдан #Крым #крымблокада pic.twitter.com/P2Esca4zmM — Tetiana Bezruk (@Bezruck) November 21, 2015
Earlier on Friday, unidentified saboteurs damaged two of Kherson's four electricity transmission towers, prompting Crimean authorities to issue warnings of possible power cuts. However, when local Ukrainian repairs crews attempted to reach the site, they were blocked by Crimean Tatar activists and Right Sector militants, who proclaimed they were taking the area "under protection," TASS reported.
The stand-off ended in clashes with Ukrainian riot police, who were dispatched to the site. Several activists were slightly injured, while one police officer was stabbed during the turmoil.
«Правый сектор» захватил поврежденные опоры #ЛЭП, ведущие в Крым
https://t.co/v1oOnIQ7Lj
Фото: batalion. azov pic.twitter.com/TdZoyZjMVm — Телеканал ЗВЕЗДА (@zvezdanews) November 21, 2015
While the Ukrenergo energy company's maintenance crew finally managed to start the repair work, dozens of Crimean Tatars gathered in Kiev at the presidential administration building to protest the police response. Radical activists called for resistance to any attempts by Ukrainian authorities to undermine the so-called "blockade" of Crimea that has been organized by several activist groups in Kherson and had initially targeted Ukrainian vehicles transporting goods for sale to the peninsula.
Reader Comments
One more thing that does NOT make any sense...
"Earlier on Friday, unidentified saboteurs damaged two of Kherson's four electricity transmission towers, prompting Crimean authorities to issue warnings of possible power cuts."
...if you only have four main transmission lines and two are attacked, why would you not IMMEDIATELY dispatch troops to guard the other two?
I guess it may be logistically impossible considering how much area you would have to watch, but with Russia's tech
and a couple of days between the first two and the last two....it still don't make sense.