The Ukrainian conflict is also an energy war. By Vladimir Putin’s own admission, Russia is now aiming to attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Although winter is already making itself felt in Kyiv, these strikes cause numerous power cuts in the main cities of the country, leaving Ukrainians at the mercy of temperatures that can reach -20°C during this period.
“We can improve their lives”
So, to help his compatriots, Viktor, a Ukrainian who was able to take refuge in the Alpes-Maritimes since the start of the conflict, had the idea of putting a kitty online to finance the two generators he bought for the sum of 3,000 euros.
“Currently many people do not have electricity, heating or water. With this little help, we can improve their lives,” Viktor, part of whose family is still in Kyiv, told BFMTV.
Philippe Vivarelli, Viktor’s host family, remembers the birth of this initiative. “I said maybe we can try to make something, a kitten, and see if we can come up with a few euros,” he recalls to BFMTV.
So far, 700 euros have been raised, which will be used, among other things, to transport the two generators to Ukraine.
Generators used daily
In recent weeks, generators have become vital for Ukrainians. During an interview on our antenna, Olena Zelenska, the country’s first lady, had asked for the generosity of the French. “If they have generators, generators, give them to us!” she said. A request that she also made her husband, Volodymyr Zelensky, during the congress of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF) in Paris at the end of November.
In the field, these generators are used on a daily basis. With BFMTV, Nicolay Opara, a Ukrainian who was given a generator through a French association, was “touched” by the initiative.
“It will help my son for school because everything is online right now, when there is no electricity, school stops,” he says.
Altogether, the generators sent by Viktor should provide electricity for his family who remained there, but also for an entire street in Kyiv.
Source: BFM TV
