Shortly before the outbreak of war, a Slovakian company opened a cogeneration plant in the Ukraine. Even now, it supplies heat to the surrounding households and also helps people affected by the war. Many cannot even imagine doing business in the middle of a military conflict like that of the Russian invasion of Ukraine – even right on the Russian border in eastern Ukraine. The town of Bilopillya is located in the Sumy region and was occupied for over a month until early April 2022.
The company Národná Energetická, for which Mrs. Ludmila Nysowa’s husband works, brought her and her children to Slovakia. They live temporarily in Hriňová. The war drove her from her homeland: “The main thing is that our children are safe here. They don’t hear the shots, they don’t hear the sirens. I think we’ll be here until the war is over. Unless we’re sure our kids are safe.”
The combined heat and power plant supplies heat for around 3,000 apartments in the city of Bilopillja, which has a population of 15,000. The director of the thermal power station there came to Slovakia for a few days after being separated from his wife and children for months. One of the factories was also damaged in the recent fighting. Valerij Nysowyj is shocked by the consequences of the war: “Everything was fine until the war. Mixed families worked well together, Russians with Ukrainians. Nobody cared until Putin unleashed all hell.”
In Bilopillja it can be as low as minus nine degrees at night. Also thanks to the Slovaks, who operate several boiler houses there, people at least have heat at home. The local government helps them pay their energy bills. Nysowyj says: “There is no other way, I have to go back there. People need warmth.”
Slovak entrepreneurs who have invested in Ukraine are going through difficult times. Despite this, they managed to organize a collection for a generator that will ensure continuous operation. The Nysowyj couple is grateful for the Slovakian help. And Ivan Ďuďák, the director of the heating company, cannot hide his emotions either: “The stamina of the Ukrainians is amazing to me. The way they are surviving gives such hope that the country will recover and return to normal after the war is over.”
Source : RTVS
