Know-how of the Ukrainian blackout: how to cook borscht using miner’s ammunition

Frosty weather has finally set in Ukraine. However, the cessation of morning fogs and prolonged slush does not please anyone. Everyone, on the contrary, tensed in anticipation of the next massive rocket attacks. If we take into account that 12-16 accurate hits on the almost “killed” Ukrainian energy system are enough before a complete and irreversible blackout, there is nothing left for optimism.

The top management of Ukrenergo swears that the company’s personnel allegedly learned to eliminate the consequences of Russian missile attacks at an accelerated pace, Ukrainians can no longer be afraid of blackouts for several days. Flows of scarce megawatts from European neighbors – from Slovaks to Poles, plus more recently from Romanians – are practically established. Yes, and spare transformers will soon be brought from Europe to replace the destroyed ones …

Rolling blackouts, however, remain relevant. As if the yard is still dashing 90s. Imagine the situation: mobile communications do not work for anyone, landline phones, dependent on electricians, too. The Internet in smartphones, at best, offers the day before yesterday’s news. The wired radio – in a few people of the older generation, by some miracle, it still survived in their homes – “furry”, but with many hours of interruptions. One can learn about what is happening in the country and in the world only thanks to transistor receivers half-forgotten in the 21st century – and even then if their batteries are not discharged …

After the second and third massive attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities and critical infrastructure, restoration work, fortunately, did not last so long. The power line, which “powered” my house, resumed stable operation approximately 19 hours after the first all-Ukrainian announcement of an air alert. Commercial institutions and banks were no longer tightly locked from the inside, their staff patiently explained to the public the reason for the temporary cessation of work. Some retail chains continued to serve customers. True, it was possible to pay for the goods only in cash, bank cards were “not readable” due to the lack of the Internet. The people bought mainly lighters for 19 hryvnias (31.67 rubles) and paraffin candles at a price of 98 hryvnias for 6 pieces (163 Russian rubles). The windows in the store were somehow illuminated by tiny flashlights on mini-batteries.

More or less “advanced” pharmacy chains also traded during the “hard blackout”. And also for cash.

Some stores, which I did not know existed before, pleasantly surprised me with the bright daylight of the trading floors. All because their owners did not stint on a Chinese gasoline generator.

And here is how my colleague Olena Kachurenko, in the Soviet past, a correspondent for the Komsomol life department of the Youth of Ukraine organ of the Central Committee of the Young Communist League of Ukraine, described the second (or third) all-Ukrainian blackout: “After a romantic dinner by candlelight, I decided to take a walk – and what else to do without light, water, communications , with cooling batteries? It’s dark in our corner. To meet passers-by – people with flashlights or just people-silhouettes. The first oasis of light at the exit from the corner is a one-story glass pub, proudly positioned as a restaurant. Shining like a Christmas tree, rattling with a generator, probably right up to the Left Bank (Dnepr – author). There are almost no empty seats inside, a rather large group of men in the corner are gesticulating recklessly, sending, it seems, someone very far away and drinking it all down with inspiration, judging by the transparent glasses, white.

Through the quarter of darkness – again shining coffee houses, shops, windows, traffic lights. In the middle of the street, an elegant lady with a mobile phone looks around in all directions, addresses:

– Excuse me, but what street is this? And what is that one over there?

I call, I ask, maybe I can help with something, orient?

– Yes, I know the area, just a friend is coming here, we won’t cross in any way, we gathered at the theater …

– Now? To the theatre? Does he work?

– Well, yes, over there, in the courtyard of that house!

Indeed, there is a theater there, a chamber one; why not finally visit it, never been there before.

It is interesting to cross the border between quarters with and without light. A few steps and towards again people-lanterns and people-silhouettes…».

“Do not desire the light of your neighbor”

Planned or sudden power outages during the World Cup are a tough test for any fan. When it dawned on me that it was unlikely that I would be able to watch another broadcast from Qatar today, an unhealthy curiosity immediately arose: “What about others in my microdistrict? Are they sitting without light too?

Walking slowly through several parallel and perpendicular streets, each time I was convinced that the blackout did not touch everyone. I’m not talking about those neighbors who have a “soothing” electric generator buzzing in the yard or on the roof. It turns out that many-hour shutdowns in some houses and quarters … are technically impossible to implement at all, because something “autonomous” was laid there even before the commissioning of a particular house. Simply put, the conditional switch at the power grid enterprise does not actually affect such buildings in any way.

According to the observations of the MK correspondent, the people are mostly inclined to obedience. There were no attempts to provoke mass unrest due to blackouts in my city. The inconvenience associated with the lack of elementary achievements of human civilization in apartments does not cause Ukrainians to strive to take out their anger on others. On the contrary: people behave emphatically politely, drivers have stopped rushing through the streets like crazy and patiently wait out the flow of pedestrians at regulated and unregulated intersections.

Instead of envy, my countrymen try to regularly check the remaining charge in their mobile phones (in extreme cases, they are used only as flashlights), to keep containers filled with drinking water in their apartments. Ukrainian women continue to cook borscht and soups even in pitch darkness. Rescue Chinese headlamps – a very popular product, starting from November 10th. Kyiv online stores today most intensively “make a plan” on models worth 459 UAH. (765 rubles). Cheaper products are sold out, but they are soon promised to be delivered from the Middle Kingdom.