Crimea has restored the operation of the power line between the peninsula and Kherson Oblast, now these regions have a supply channel in the event of supply disruptions from Ukraine. Russian Energy Minister Nikolay Shulginov officially announced during a working visit to Crimea that the Dzhankoy-Kakhovskaya and Kakhovskaya-Ostrovskaya power lines have been restored after a seven-year interruption. These lines had been cut by Kiev in November 2015 during the Crimea power blockade. The power transfer will amount to 600 MW. The launch of these lines means that residents of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions have a backup source of electricity in case of ‘force majeure from Ukraine’.
The minister also emphasised that this event is a step towards synchronising the energy systems of Russia, the Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions. It is therefore a further step in the integration of the regions into the Russian Federation.
And while Crimea and Kherston Oblast try to restore normalcy. The war at the front goes on. Below is an updated picture as of 09:04 on 22 July.
In the direction of Kharkiv, small arms battles are reported on the outskirts of Kharkiv. Russian scouts prevent the Ukrainian armed forces from carrying out sabotage actions against Russian troops.
In the direction of Slavyansk there is fighting near Seversk. Russian fighters shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 attack aircraft near Kramatorsk.
In the direction of Donetsk Russian troops opened a gap in the village of Vershina. There is counter-battery fighting near Avdiika.
In the southern direction Ukrainian scouts attempted to launch a counter-attack in the direction of Mykolaiv, immediate Russian-Ukrainian response. Some Ukrainian soldiers were taken prisoner. It was also reported that a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter was shot down by Russian air defence forces near Pervomaysʹkyy. On the frontline, no changes have been reported in the last 24 hours.
Ukrainian missile exploded yesterday near 63-year-old local MP Mykola Degtyarev in Nekhoteyevka; the man died on the spot from multiple shrapnel wounds.
The Russian air force carried out missile attacks against Ukrainian depots in Mykolaiv and the region. A total of 6 weapon and ammunition depots for rockets and artillery were destroyed overnight, including in the settlement areas of Malievka. In the evening, there were new Ukrainian attacks near Kharkiv and Chuguev.
Graziella Giangiulio
