Divers Seal Leak in -15°C Freeze During Six-Day Kyiv Underwater Mission.

Ukrainian Emergency Service Divers Conduct Critical Repair

According to TSN.ua: In a challenging six-day operation, divers from Ukraine's State Emergency Service (SES) worked in sub-zero temperatures as low as -15°C to repair a damaged pipe at a Kyiv thermal power plant. The leak had threatened the city's district heating system, which is vital during the harsh winter months. The extreme cold significantly complicated the underwater repair efforts.

Heating Supply Status in the Capital

As of January 22, fewer than 3,000 apartment buildings in Kyiv remain without heating. Efforts by the divers and other services successfully restored heat to 270 buildings the previous day. Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko, publicly thanked the divers for their high professionalism and dedication in completing this difficult task.

For their courage and skill demonstrated during the leak elimination, several SES personnel received state awards:

• The Order 'For Courage' III Class was awarded to Artem Orlov, Denys Frolov, and Mykhailo Khyzhnak.
• Andrii Vlasenko received the Order of Danylo Halytskyi.
• Anton Haitan was honored with the 'Defender of the Fatherland' Medal.

These decorations underscore the importance and difficulty of the work carried out under extreme temperature conditions.

The heating situation in Kyiv remains complex, but the effective response by rescue services demonstrates their capability to operate in harsh environments. Repairing the leak at the power plant was a critical step to ensure livable conditions for city residents this winter. The awards given to the SES personnel are a testament to their high level of professionalism and readiness to perform dangerous tasks during emergencies.