It became known that on the eve of the Ramstein meeting, the minister of development and infrastructure of Germany, Svenja Schulze, arrived in Odesa. The visit was not announced for security reasons. During the minister's stay, air raid alerts were heard throughout Ukraine, so Schulze moved exclusively accompanied by security.
Since the beginning of the war, this is the second visit of the minister to Ukraine. In just 10 hours in Odesa and nearby villages, Svenja Schulze got an idea of the titanic damage that the Russian war inflicted on Ukraine and the needs of our state. Some energy infrastructure facilities have already been destroyed twice by Russia. For example, Schulze saw the transformer part of Ukrenergo: on December 5, 3 rockets hit it. The station was restored, and on December 29, it was again destroyed by Russian missiles. At the station's site is now a group of molten and crumpled metal. 1.5 people in the Odesa region live without electricity. However, it is clear that Ukrainians have not left their hometown and are adapting to a new life: power generators are everywhere.
The minister said that Germany will allocate €52 million for the restoration of Ukraine's energy infrastructure: points of invincibility, purchase of generators, and medical care.
The very concept of points of invincibility pleasantly surprised minister Schulze. For Ukrainians, this has already become an everyday reality - houses or office buildings with generators, heat, water, and the opportunity to receive medical care. During each blackout, hundreds of Ukrainians come to points of invincibility to drink tea, charge their phones and support each other. There are thousands of such points across Ukraine, and Schulze called them "points of indomitability."
"That's why Ukraine needs not only weapons but also civilian support to stay strong," Svenja Schulze.
During her visit, Schulze saw how Ukrainians hide children from Russian shelling: "Air raid signal, watch in the shelter – no child is safe." The minister was impressed by the picture when small children sat in a bomb shelter and painted tiny wooden hearts with paint.
"There is property damage that you see in power plants or buildings. But the psychological damage is equally important, especially for children."
A small handful of ships — that's all that was left in the port of Odesa. Only one vessel is loaded here, which will send grain to Turkey. Before the war, Ukraine was one of the top three grain exporters in the world. There are several wind turbines nearby, and several more are being completed. Schulze also saw plantations of solar panels — Ukraine is reducing its dependence on Russian energy carriers.
"We are in the process of restoring Ukraine to a free, independent Ukraine in the midst of a war," summed up Svenja Schulze.
