A charred transformer on a Kyiv square makes for an unusual Ukraine war exhibit

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A charred transformer on a Kyiv square makes for an unusual Ukraine war exhibit

2024-09-20 19:58 Last Updated At：20:00

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A charred transformer from one of Ukraine’s badly damaged power plants has come to a square in Kyiv's city center — a stark reminder of the scale of destruction caused by Russian strikes on the country's energy system.

The massive blackened hulk juxtaposed with a Ferris wheel farther down Kontraktova Square — or Square of Contracts in honor of the place's mercantile past — also serves as a contrast between the peacetime that was and the harsh reality of war in Ukraine.

The exhibition by private energy company DTEK, a nongovernmental organization and Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy opened on Thursday with a message urging people to feel "the pain and despair over the destroyed equipment” that energy workers experience first hand.

The organizers said that while they realize the transformer creates a somber atmosphere, their intention was not to “get anyone down” but to raise awareness of how difficult it is to bring light back to the houses in Ukraine after every Russian attack.

The exhibit is to stay in Kyiv for the next two months — by then, Ukraine will inch closer to what will likely be another winter of war.

The government has warned residents to brace for their toughest winter yet since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022 as airstrikes against the country’s beleaguered energy infrastructure intensify.

Russia continues to hammer Ukraine’s energy generation capacity, leaving the country heavily reliant on its three functioning nuclear power stations and electricity imports from European Union countries.

According to Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, there have been over 1,000 attacks targeting the country’s power grid.

“There is no place, no region, no type of energy infrastructure that has not been affected by these attacks,” he said in a statement.

Ukrainians, meanwhile, have to cope with frequent nationwide blackouts, enduring hours without electricity. The shortages have exacerbated war fatigue as there appears no end of the conflict in sight.

Dmytro Tiuzin, a 37-year-old IT specialist who lives near Kontraktova Square, said he came to see the transformer in person on Thursday after seeing images of the installation on social media.

“I am worrying about it," he said of the destruction of Ukraine's power system. "I work remotely and I am very dependent on the electricity and internet.”

In the months between March and August, Russia launched nine coordinated attacks against electricity infrastructure in Ukraine, destroying approximately 9 gigawatts of electricity generation capacity, according to a U.N. report on Thursday.

The amount represents half of Ukraine’s energy needs during the winter months, the report by the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission said.

“This winter will be bad enough with people likely having to cope with scheduled blackouts across the country,” said Danielle Bell, head of the mission. “Any additional attacks leading to prolonged electricity blackouts could have catastrophic consequences.”

Rebuilding the damage caused may take years. The Kyiv School of Economics in an assessment published in May estimated that restoring the energy sector will require $50 billion.

“This project is not meant to ... make people feel depressed about how bad things are,” said Katya Taylor from the Port of Culture, an NGO that curated the exhibition.

“But rather, just to thank those people who are there for us," she added.

Serhii, a worker from the power plant where the transformer was brought from, said he had spent 32 years of his life working there. The name of the power plant and Serhii’s family name could not be disclosed under government regulations due to security concerns.

“Sometimes tears come to my eyes, seeing this,” he said.

The destruction he witnessed also makes him angry and determined not to give up, “no matter what.”

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

A rocket from Yemen strikes Tel Aviv, injuring 16, and Palestinians mourn a dozen children in Gaza

2024-12-21 22:09 Last Updated At：22:10

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rocket fired from Yemen hit an area of Tel Aviv overnight, leaving 16 people injured by shattered glass, the Israeli military said Saturday, days after Israeli airstrikes hit Houthi rebels who have been launching missiles in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Another 14 people sustained minor injuries as they rushed to shelters when air raid sirens sounded before dawn Saturday, the military said.

The Houthis issued a statement on Telegram saying they had aimed a hypersonic ballistic missile at a military target, which they did not identify.

“A flash of light, a blow and we fell to the ground. Big mess, broken glasses all over the place,” said Bar Katz, a resident of a damaged building.

The attack came after Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, and port city of Hodeida killed at least nine people Thursday. The Israeli strikes were in response to a Houthi long-range missile that hit an Israeli school building. The Houthis also claimed a drone strike targeting an unspecified military target in central Israel on Thursday.

Israel's military says the Iran-backed Houthis have launched more than 200 missiles and drones during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The Houthis have also attacked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and say they won’t stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israeli strikes Thursday caused “considerable damage” to the Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports that will lead to the "immediate and significant reduction in port capacity,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The Hodeida port has been key for food shipments into Yemen in its decade-long civil war.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said both sides’ attacks risk further escalation in the region.

Mourners in Gaza held funerals for 19 people — 12 of them children — killed in Israeli strikes on Friday and overnight.

One strike hit a residential building in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least seven Palestinians, including five children and one woman, and injuring 16 others, health officials said.

In Gaza City, a strike on a house killed 12 people, including seven children and two women, according to Al-Ahli Hospital where the bodies were taken.

One man cradled a tiny shroud-wrapped body as mourners gathered at the hospital in Gaza City. Women comforted each other as they wept.

Overall, Gaza's Health Ministry said 21 people had been killed over the past 24 hours.

More than 45,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, when a Hamas attack in Israel killed about 1,200 people and triggered the 14-month war. The health ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but has said more than half of fatalities are women and children.

Israel faces heavy international criticism over the unprecedented levels of civilian deaths in Gaza. It says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in residential areas.

Gaza's Health Ministry issued an urgent appeal for medical and food supplies to be delivered to Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya in largely isolated northern Gaza, while the hospital director described conditions as dire, as Israel's military presses its latest offensive.

The ministry reported continuous gunfire and Israeli shelling near the hospital, saying “shells have struck the third floor and the hospital’s entrances, creating a state of panic.”

Hospital director Dr. Husam Abu Safiyeh said the facility faced “severe shortages” and asserted that requests for essential medical supplies and ways to maintain oxygen, water and electricity systems "have largely gone unmet.”

He said 72 wounded people were being treated at the hospital.

“Food is very scarce, and we cannot provide meals for the wounded," Safiyeh added. “We are urgently calling on anyone who can provide supplies to help us.”

Aid groups have said Israeli military operations and armed gangs have hindered their ability to distribute aid.

The Israeli military organization dealing with humanitarian affairs for Gaza said Saturday it had led an operation delivering thousands of food packages, flour and water to the Beit Hanoun area in the north. It said trucks with the U.N. World Food Program transported them to distribution centers in the area Friday.

Iran on Saturday said unknown gunmen had killed a local staffer of the Iranian embassy in Syria, the official IRNA news agency said.

Its report quoted foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei as saying “terrorists” opened fire on Davood Bitaraf’s car last Sunday. It did not say what he did with the embassy.

Baghaei said Iran considers Syria’s interim government responsible for finding and prosecuting those behind the killing. Iran had been a key ally of recently ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad.

Shurafa reported from Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writers Elena Becatoros in Majdal Shams, Golan Heights, contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war