Ukraine restores partial electricity to Crimea, which is refusing it

After two weeks of an electricity blockade imposed by Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian activists, the state electricity grid operator Ukrenergo announced on Dec. 8 it has fully repaired one of four lines providing power to the peninsula occupied by Russia. The activists, led by Lenur Isliamov, agreed to allow the repairs after a decision reached by the Crimean Tatar Mejlis.

“All our activists were gathered and were told about what’s happening in Kyiv, where pressure was being put on Mustafa Dhzemilev and Refat Chubarov by our foreign partners,” Isliamov told a television network on Dec. 7, referring to the Crimean Tatar leaders in Ukraine’s capital. “There was serious pressure because we, as activists, are provoking a humanitarian catastrophe in Crimea.” Chubarov has submitted to parliament a bill to halt electricity supplies to Crimea, which he hopes will be considered on Dec. 8, Isliamov said.

The decision came after Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk mentioned on Dec. 4 the need to restore a power line to enterprises Titan and Krymsoda located in northern part of Crimea “to avoid technical disaster.” Later on, President Poroshenko also stressed the need to restore this power line as the activists blocked access to the repair brigades until noon Dec. 7.

In response to the announcement on repair works, Sergei Aksyonov, the prime minister of occupied Crimea, said Crimea will refuse the renewed electricity supply from Ukraine. “We’ve already long ago refused everything Ukrainian,” he said. “Electricity was the last ‘thread’ that tied us to Ukraine. As of today, we are cut off completely and don’t have intentions to renew these relations again.”

Zenon Zawada: This isn’t the end of the Crimean electricity conflict as the Crimean Tatar activists found a valuable weak point to exploit in their occupiers. This partial resolution – restoring only one of four lines – was the result of pressure from both international leaders (namely, Joe Biden, who is in Kyiv now) and lobbying from Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash, whose enterprises will be the among the main recipients of the renewed power from Ukraine. It’s possible the unofficial blockade will begin again if Chubarov’s legislation is not approved after Biden departs today.