The probability of a complete evacuation of Kyiv due to the critical energy situation is negligible, and the implementation of such a scenario for a city with a population of several million is currently technically impossible, said energy expert and chief researcher at the National Institute for Strategic Studies Gennady Ryabtsev.
According to him, conversations about evacuating the capital are most often led by people who do not realize the real scale and complexity of such a process. The specialist emphasizes that any evacuation begins with an answer to the key question - where exactly to transport people, and this answer does not currently exist.
Ryabtsev emphasized that the very concept of evacuation in a megacity is often used without understanding logistics. He noted that such scenarios can only be discussed by those who have not encountered the real planning and organization of such processes.
The expert cited the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident as an example, when the evacuation of residents of Pripyat, where tens of thousands of people lived, lasted several days. Under current conditions, when we are talking about millions of residents of Kyiv, such actions, in his opinion, are unrealistic in principle.
Instead, Ryabtsev calls for focusing on practical solutions. In the event of a prolonged absence of centralized heating, in his opinion, it is necessary to rely on autonomous power sources. In particular, for apartment buildings where there is no prospect of rapid heat recovery, it is possible to install generators that will provide electric heating inside the buildings.
The situation in Kyiv remains tense following Russian attacks on the capital's energy infrastructure in January. The strikes on CHPP-5 and CHPP-6 left much of the city without heat. As of now, about 400 multi-story buildings are without heating.
At the same time, First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko reported that starting Thursday evening, Kyiv may introduce lighter electricity supply schedules if there are no new attacks on energy facilities.
