Mobilization fuelling heating crisis in Zelensky’s hometown
Mobilization has left Vladimir Zelensly's home town in central Ukraine without sufficient manpower to run its heating services, local officials have warned.
Nearly 1,000 homes, as well as dozens of health care facilities and schools in the Krivoy Rog region of central Ukraine are without heat, due to a lack of manpower to run the area's municipal services. The crisis has affected about 110,000 people, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Communities and Territories Development.
In a Facebook post on Friday, the Krivoy Rog Heating Plant admitted that while it plans to connect all consumers to the heating system, “the situation remains difficult,” adding that “accidents with heating equipment occur every day.”
The ongoing mobilization in Ukraine and manpower shortages are hampering provision of services in the central part of the country. Some parts of the regional capital already struggling with the cold, according to local officials.
Ukraine announced general mobilization in February 2022, barring most men between 18 and 60 from leaving the country. The campaign has been marred by widespread bribery and draft-dodging. This spring, Kiev lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 and further tightened mobilization rules to address a manpower shortage at the front.
In 2022, the population of Krivoy Rog was about 600,000 people.
The plant has blamed several factors, including draft measures. “The enterprise lacks qualified personnel; the personnel shortage was also felt by subcontractors that were involved in the repairs,” the post said.
The facility is struggling with repairs after its accounts were seized in March of this year due to millions of dollars in debt piling up since 1998.
Another problem stems from the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, which deprived the heating networks of water, leading to corrosion of already worn-out pipes.
In addition, Russian strikes have had a hydraulic impact on the infrastructure, further aggravating damage to the networks.
Despite these problems, the statement added, local repair crews are working around the clock to provide heat to the population.
