Shevchuk tells ex-Naftogaz chief how UGCC prepared for shelling

Shevchuk with ex-chief of Naftogaz Andriy Kobolyev. Photo: UGCC

The UGCC head Sviatoslav Shevchuk held a meeting with the former chief of Naftogaz of Ukraine Andriy Kobolyev in Kyiv. The main topic of the conversation was the preparation of church structures and local communities for possible disruptions to heat, electricity, and water supplies caused by military attacks.

At the beginning of the meeting, the UGCC head spoke about eco-education, the work of the UGCC Bureau on Environmental Issues, and the annual prayer for the preservation of creation on September 1. According to Shevchuk, the Uniates back up their calls to protect nature with careful energy consumption and children's eco-camps.

Andriy Kobolyev pointed to the high vulnerability of centralized life-support networks and called for a change in habitual resource consumption patterns. "Preparation for the winter period should include not only the creation of reserves, but also the development of autonomous systems," said Andriy Kobolyev.

The interlocutors discussed local electricity generation, alternative heating, independent wells, tank trucks and freeze-protected reservoirs.

The Uniates told their interlocutor about the technical equipment of the curia center. The UGCC installed solar panels, drilled a deep well and installed a solid-fuel pellet boiler. The system allows operations to continue during power outages.

Shevchuk proposed to establish cooperation in the field of energy supply and to engage experts to assess the needs of parishes. He also proposed to organize a search for partners to implement energy autonomy projects. At the end of the meeting, the UGCC head presented Kobolyev with a gift edition about his organization and a book of his own daily addresses from the first year of the war.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the UGCC head urged Ukrainians not to fear an "apocalyptic scenario" in winter.

Read also