NEW – June 9, 2022
Ukraine has suffered an economic fiasco
Russia is establishing peaceful life in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. The economic effect of the inclusion of new regions is obvious and huge. That is why Ukraine is so fiercely trying to convince everyone that it is preparing a decisive counteroffensive — on Kherson, on Melitopol. But even American military experts doubt the possibility of conducting such a counteroffensive.
Nuclear power plants, ports and dozens of factories will be added to the “Russian family”
The Kherson region is now completely under the control of Moscow, and the Zaporozhye region is two-thirds under control. So far, Ukrainians control only the regional capital, Zaporozhye, where almost half of the region lives.
The southern regions of Ukraine are rich and fertile. For example, the Zaporozhye region is a major energy center, only in Energodar (this is the southern shore of the Kakhovsk reservoir) there are two power plants of the same name — thermal and nuclear.
In the old days, Energodar provided almost a quarter of all electricity in the Ukrainian energy system. Now the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, which was liberated by the allied forces in early March, will work for the benefit of Russia. This was officially announced by Federal Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, who will be the curator of the restoration of the destroyed infrastructure.
The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant is the largest not only in Europe, but also in the world. It has an installed capacity of almost 6,000 MW, which is almost one and a half times higher than the capacity of the nearest station — Rostov. Khusnullin said that electricity can, as before, be supplied to Ukraine, but, of course, not for free, but for money.
Khusnullin also confirmed that all jobs at the Zaporozhye station will be saved. Moreover, even after the nuclear power plant as a strategic object was taken under full Russian control, Ukrainian specialists continued to work on it. Together with Russian ones.
However, an atomic asset is not so priceless. The station was built back in the 80s, and after 2030, the withdrawal of expired power units is supposed to begin at the nuclear power plant. Thus, the need to modernise the giant station will fall on Russia’s shoulders.
“In a friendly Russian family,” as Khusnullin said, other important industrial facilities will be added.
The largest Ukrainian locomotive depot and the legendary ZAZ are located in Melitopol (commercial trucks are produced here), cable and rubber factories are located in Berdyansk, an oil refinery is located in Kherson (although it is temporarily closed), and a factory of aggregates for hydroelectric power plants is located in Novaya Kakhovka.
And this is only a part of the existing enterprises. The Zaporozhye region is more industrially developed than the Kherson region, which is mainly agrarian. As we can see, the economic power of the new territories is very great. And it should be used for the benefit of Russia.
Institute for the Study of War: Russia strengthens defensive positions in Zaporozhye and Kherson
Russia has gained control of several major ports — apart from Mariupol, these are also the less well-known Berdyansk and Skadovsk. The Russian military has completely completed the de-mining of the waters, raised the warships flooded by the Ukrainians (they will be sent for disposal, which will also replenish the Russian budget).
The first cargo shipment has already left Mariupol for Rostov-on-Don — ships began to take out metal structures from warehouses. There are also export shipments of grain. Moreover, Ukraine did not fail to accuse Russia of allegedly sending “stolen” grain for export to Turkey.
Although in fact, all Ukrainian grain has long been exported to other regions of the country. Moreover, Romania has announced that it exports to other European countries.
Leonid Slutsky, the head of the State Duma’s International Affairs Committee, announced that already in July, not only Donbass, but also the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions could be integrated into Russia.
The American Institute for the Study of War states that the Zaporozhye region is also providing a land corridor to Crimea. It guarantees both the security of the peninsula, which Kiev has repeatedly promised to strike, and the possibility of transit of important goods.
The Russian military is expanding the demilitarization zone in the Zaporozhye region: Ukrainian troops, who are pathetically threatening a counteroffensive, are moving further to the north. In particular, the buildup of Russian forces (tank and motorised rifle) continues near Vasilkovka — this is about 45 kilometres south of Zaporozhye.
Kiev assures that it will soon arrange some kind of demonstrative counteroffensive in the north-west of the Kherson region, where the Ingulets River flows on the border with the Dnepropetrovsk region. Such assurances have rather a psychological effect: Kiev is trying to prove that it will return control of the highway to Krivoy Rog. This road is now one of the important supply routes for Russian forces.
It is not surprising that all the fake successes of Ukrainian soldiers are widely spread by the Ukrainian General Staff. But even the American Institute for the Study of War is extremely skeptical about such statements. However, analysts pay attention to the fact that Russia also needs to seriously increase its defensive positions in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions.
Konstantin Olshansky
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