Shmyhal: Getting out of hardest blackout case to take seven to ten days
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal says that the way out of the most difficult case of a complete blackout will take from seven to ten days.
"In the most difficult case of a complete blackout, when everything is completely destroyed, the exit takes from seven to ten days. This is according to the calculations of our power engineers. I emphasize that these are theoretical calculations, because the world has not yet experienced such things," Shmyhal said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
When asked what the government's plan for such a case for large cities, the prime minister replied that the government was preparing for all possible scenarios.
"The leaders of regional military administrations, the leaders of communities were informed of the response plans in case of critical situations. These documents are marked 'for official use' and they cannot be publicly announced," he said.
Shmyhal said that from the point of view of large cities, the president's initiative to create "points of invincibility" is the only realistic way.
"As of last week, there were 5,000 such 'Points of Invincibility' in Ukraine. The Government has made a decision and fully normalized the issues of creating and functioning of these points: financing, maintenance of duty officers, fuel supplies, and so on. We expect that in two weeks there will be from 15,000 to 17,000 'Points of Indestructibility.' This will be the tool that will help people survive in critical times when a blackout can occur. And, of course, a certain list of actions that local authorities must perform. There is no other way out," the prime minister said.
When asked whether such an approach would be effective if several hundred thousand or million people were forced to leave their apartments at the same time, Shmyhal stressed that this is not about comfort, but about survival, and in this case it is necessary to provide a minimum set just for survival: food, warm water, heat, communication and electricity.
"If we take only train stations, this can already become a refuge for hundreds of thousands of people, I'm not even talking about schools and hospitals now," he stressed.
At the same time, the Prime Minister noted that in the event of a blackout, the heating system could become a big problem, the maintenance of which lies with the local authorities.
As for a possible plan for the centralized movement of people to the so-called countryside, following the example of front-line settlements, Shmyhal said that such an approach would not work during a blackout.
"In the event of a blackout, this is a completely different story. If it is all over the country, then where to take people, if the whole country is in a humanitarian catastrophe? We understand what will happen. Some people will move to the nearest rural settlements, some plan to stay in cities and made appropriate preparations... Someone will come to the 'Point of Invincibility.' Someone will go abroad... The key task will be to survive. Therefore, now we are doing everything to prevent such a scenario," the prime minister said.