Burshtyn Mayor Vasyl Andriyeshyn announced this on Facebook page "Today we were again targeted in a missile attack the heat generating company that provides Burshtyn with central heating sustained damage it is important that the Invincibility Points operate Now they are open around the clock," Andriyeshyn assured central heating will return to people’s homes in two to three days Despite the consequences of the Russian attack Burshtyn authorities decided not to close schools schools and day care facilities will operate as usual will be heated with the help of mobile electrical devices we have already arranged with Rohatyn and Halych hospitals Maybe we will move them there on Monday," Andriyeshyn said He also asks people to keep calm and support each other residents are urged to use electrical appliances with caution heating supply was severed to Burshtyn in Ivano-Frankivsk region after a Russian missile strike November 17 While citing and using any materials on the Internet links to the website ukrinform.net not lower than the first paragraph are mandatory citing the translated materials of foreign media outlets is possible only if there is a link to the website ukrinform.net and the website of a foreign media outlet Materials marked as "Advertisement" or with a disclaimer reading "The material has been posted in accordance with Part 3 of Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Advertising" No 1996 and the Law of Ukraine "On the Media" No 2023 and on the basis of an agreement/invoice Online media entity; Media identifier - R40-01421 Some settlements, including the town of Burshtyn and the village of Demianiv in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, will temporarily have no heat or hot water supply due to the Russian attack, according to DTEK Burshtyn TPP This happened as a result of Russian massive missile attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure on the morning of December 13 Power engineers report that work is underway to eliminate the consequences of the Russian attacks Specialists are making every effort to restore a stable supply of heat and water DTEK Burshtyn TPP thanked the citizens for their patience and understanding of the situation the Russian occupiers launched another massive attack on Ukraine The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine noted that the target of the Russian missile attack was Ukraine's energy facilities. As the effects of the Russian shelling on the Ukrainian energy sector are currently being felt in various regions of Ukraine Ukrenergo reported an increase in blackout schedules head of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Military Administration said that the Ivano-Frankivsk region has suffered the most massive Russian attack since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia launched 93 missiles and almost 200 drones at Ukraine today He called on Western partners to provide air defense equipment Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that the West urgently needs to supply at least 20 air defense systems to Ukraine as Russian attacks on the country's energy sector have intensified Read more about the Russian massive shelling of Ukraine by Russia on December 13 in RBC-Ukraine's report. Burshtyn Thermal Power Plant in the Ivano-Frankivsk region is beyond repair after Russian missile strikes according to the head of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Military Administration Russian forces attacked the plant with missiles twelve times "We have understood for some time that the Burshtyn TPP cannot be restored; it is extremely heavily damaged." six boilers of varying capacities will be built in the town of Burshtyn to ensure the provision of heat to social facilities and residents stated in an interview with local publication Halka that the Burshtyn TPP suffered significant damage due to the attacks He mentioned that last year there were two major hits damaging the roof and this year there have been over ten such strikes but now the Burshtyn TPP roof is almost nonexistent I have serious doubts that the TPP will operate in winter because it will be impossible to restore the roof and walls.. but then only half the roof was destroyed," he said Services for Raising Capital & Sell a Business Get a monthly investment magazine in private equity and venture capital The initiative was launched by the Burshtyn City Council, with plans to develop a 20.45-hectare site that is expected to generate up to 1,000 new jobs. The industrial park will focus on manufacturing and related industries, providing infrastructure for businesses in the following sectors: Join as a partner Advertising Team Vacancies Contacts Services for Raising Capital & Sell a Business Investment proposals Investment Projects and Startups Business for Sale Commercial Property Land Franchising Investor Offers Services for Raising Capital & Sell a Business Services for Investors Private Equity & M&A Venture Capital & Startups Government Investments Stock Market & IPO Real Estate Investments Investment digest Research Articles Investment interview We invest in Ukraine Investors The Burshtyn thermal power plant in the Ivano-Frankivsk region cannot be restored after Russian missile attacks According to the head of the Regional Military Administration Russian troops attacked the Burshtyn thermal power plant with missiles 12 times we have understood that Burshtyn TPP is not subject to restoration She also adds that six boiler houses of different capacities will be built in Burshtyn to supply social facilities and the population during the heating season In an interview with the local news agency Galka Burshtyn community head Vasyl Andriyeshin said that Burshtyn TPP had suffered significant damage due to Russian shelling last year two powerful Russian strikes damaged the roof of the building and this year there have been more than 10 such strikes we carried out restoration work for six months and now the roof of Burshtyn TPP is virtually gone And I have serious doubts that the TPP will start working in winter because the roof and walls cannot be restored.. but only half of the roof was destroyed," he says Russia resumed shelling the Ukrainian energy sector The Russian invaders destroyed several thermal power plants in Ukraine including Zmiiv in the Kharkiv region and Trypillia in the Kyiv region As a result of the significant damage to the energy sector Ukraine is imposing restrictions on electricity consumption Ukrenergo energy company has been introducing blackouts throughout the day Ukrainians are already being warned that the winter could be difficult the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy believes that it is too early to make winter forecasts Connecting Ukraine to the continental European power grid and the EU’s electricity market is on the political agenda establishing the necessary grid connec­tions is technically complicated and also requires profound reforms to the Ukrainian electricity sector But it is not only Ukraine that has to deliver; the EU and its member states will also have to make far-reaching and hugely significant geopolitical decisions The project needs a politically coordinated roadmap that defines clear criteria and conditions for a common electricity grid In the joint declaration with the USA on support for Ukraine European energy security and climate goals Germany politically committed itself to supporting Ukraine in natural gas matters to cushion the impact of Nord Stream 2 Berlin also intends to promote and advance the restructuring of the Ukrainian energy system and its integration into a common energy area in the longer term The German-American declaration con­sequently puts Ukraine’s connection to the European energy market very high on the political agenda in Berlin (and indirectly also in Brussels) It explicitly states that there are issues in energy policy beyond the predominant subject of natural gas Electricity will thus play an increasingly important role in energy policy as well as in foreign and security policy The energy trans­formation will require additional elec­trification EU demand for electricity could increase by 40 percent by 2050 this corresponds to an increase of approximately 1,100 terawatt hours (TWh) or about twice Germany’s electricity con­sumption The European Commission’s goal of making Europe a climate-neutral con­tinent by 2050 has a logical consequence: Europe’s neighbourhood must be integrated The implementation of the Green Deal will involve the massive expansion of the use of renewable energies there is a lack of favourable locations and social acceptance for the expansion of The EU will therefore have to rely on imports of green and cli­mate-neutral electrons and/or molecules Connecting Ukraine’s electricity to the synchronous continental European grid should also be seen in this context Synchronisation of electricity grids has been on the agenda for some time. Nego­tiations began with the first memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the EU and Ukraine on energy cooperation The MoU aims at “full integration” of the EU and Ukrainian energy markets Ukraine has been a member of the European Energy Community since 2011 it is obliged to gradually adopt the energy-relevant parts of the EU’s acquis communautaire Harmonisation and convergence of the energy markets is driv­ing the energy community process The process has implications for all neigh­bouring countries Synchronisation with the European continental grid would require measures on the EU side; Ukraine would also have to decouple from the post-Soviet Integrated Power System/Unified Power System (IPS/UPS) Mol­dova – along with Transnistria – would almost inevitably have to switch from the IPS/UPS to the continental grid as well due to its geographical location the grid operators of Ukraine (Ukrenergo) and Moldova (Mold­electrica) signed an agreement on their future connection to Europe’s grid with the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) The agreement sets out the technical steps that must be taken in order to complete their synchronisation with the continental grid the synchronisa­tion is planned for 2023 even though the agreement has initiated a process at the technical level this does not automatically lead to direct and immediate synchronisation and market integration The connection of the Ukrainian grid to ENTSO-E’s grid is also a topic for discussion at the highest political level During Ger­man Chancellor Merkel’s last visit to Kyiv in August 2021 even Ukrainian Prime Minis­ter Denys Shmyhal promoted the syn­chroni­sation of the Ukrainian with the con­ti­nent­al European grid Synchronisation is the most far-reaching form of connection since the networks are not only interconnected but operated as a common system with synchronous phase sequence (that is While this increases the possibilities for mutual support it also increases the poten­tial for contagion in the event of problems Ukraine is pushing for a connection by 2023 and initially wanted to break away from the Russian IPS as early as winter 2021–2022 the Ukrainian power grid will be operated in island mode mean­ing that it will be isolated from all neigh­bours and controlled and balanced by itself Only after several test runs will it be syn­chronised with the continental European grid There are four main reasons why Ukraine is striving for synchronisation it would improve its energy security: its power grid is technically dependent on frequency maintenance which is organised by the Russian grid operator It thus depends on the Russian electricity system even when there is no electricity trade between the two countries this depend­ence increases the cost of disconnecting from the Russian system as the relevant capabilities would first need to be built up in Ukraine Ukraine’s connection to the continental European grid would deprive Moscow of the opportunity to use this dependence to exert political influence in Kyiv electricity prices in neigh­bouring countries would also increase slightly at these times the connection could also directly promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions – but only if Ukraine simulta­neously introduces a significant CO2 tax synchronisation could reduce CO2 emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants in Eastern Europe (Poland Hungary and Ukraine) by nearly one-fifth annually This corresponds to about 14 megatons of CO2 or about 2 per­cent of Germany’s annual emissions the savings would come from countries being able to sell sur­plus electricity from renewables to their neighbours instead of shutting down renew­able energy sources Ukraine generally wishes for closer ties with the EU The synchronisation of electricity systems and the resulting pos­sible integration of electricity markets would entail additional economic interdependence between the EU and Ukraine which would be dif­fi­cult to sever This would accompany regu­latory integration into the Energy Community which obliges Ukraine to implement energy-related EU directives The EU Commission’s ambition to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 and the implementation of the Green Deal are also a strong argument from the EU’s perspective in favour of both syn­chronisation and extensive integration Ukraine could become one of the key part­ners for the German economy as well water and large areas of land are abundant making Ukraine an attractive source of green electricity and hydrogen but the Ukrainian electricity system is currently barely able to generate enough electricity for its own needs and the electricity market is characterised by oligopolies and political influence the country can only be an electricity exporter and energy supplier for Germany if it rapidly expands its renewable capacity and the Ukrainian market gains stability and competitiveness through Euro­pean regulation and demand Ukraine could also develop new energy sources for itself The technical obstacles to a connection are high; a complex set of regulations applies to readying the Ukrainian grid The technical specifications and requirements are defined by ENTSO-E Before Ukraine can synchronise with continental Europe meaning the member states’ trans­mission system operators or TSOs ENTSO-E will take its decision based on technical parameters whose over­all purpose is to ensure a secure flow of elec­tricity through well-maintained and well-managed power systems The decision-makers will include well-known TSOs such as 50hertz from Germany and Réseau de Trans­port d’Electricité (RTE) from France but also smaller ones such as Landsnet from Iceland However, the TSOs of Ukraine’s immedi­ate neighbours Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania have a special role to play, as they will either have to make adjustments within their grids and/or will feel the effects directly in the flow of electricity. Burshtyn Island power plant in the west of Ukraine is already connected and synchronised with these countries (see Map 1, p. 6) This exist­ing connection with ENTSO-E has given Ukraine some experience of what it means to synchronise with another grid For syn­chronisation with the European grid to be successful Ukraine will need sufficient transnational lines One project of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant operator Energoatom is Energo­most an energy bridge to connect the Khmel­nytskyi 2 nuclear power plant with Poland via a 750 kilovolt line leading to Rzeszów the Polish side objects to the Ukrainian plans Other important lines are still under construction (to Roma­nia) or could be extended to neighbouring countries via Burshtyn Ukraine is also build­ing new lines in the country itself to pre­pare for decoupling from Russia and Belarus Ukraine will have to implement a number of technical measures One of the biggest practical challenges is the ability to balance electricity demand and supply If there is too much or too little electricity in the grid could theoretically spread to other parts of Europe Ukraine is therefore renew­ing its transmission grid and its control sys­tem more decentralised systems can also provide a higher level of electricity security But the transmission system will remain essential because Ukraine has sizeable cities high industrial density and many large power stations For all the improvements Ukraine has already achieved on its own the country would benefit greatly from international sup­port Germany in particular has experi­ence with connecting new grids (such as the former East and West Germany but also its eastern neighbours) and with integrating high shares of volatile wind and solar power into an electricity system dominated by old coal and nuclear power plants Ukraine could also be con­nected to the continental European grid via back-to-back connection using high-voltage direct current (B2B) This would allow elec­tricity to flow across borders without the need for synchronisation It would also sig­nificantly reduce the risk of problems in the Ukrainian power grid causing outages in Central Europe Back-to-back coupling is also easier to manage any future expansion of cross-border capacity would again require large investments in B2B con­nections B2B is there­fore unlikely to improve grid stability in Ukraine it would be a minimalist solution and thus send a weak signal with regard to closer relations between Ukraine and the EU The Ukrainian electricity market is not yet in a position to interact with the European market The first obstacle to this is pricing and market monopolies Ukraine’s elec­tricity market is highly regulated: prices are capped Network operators are also obliged to supply public institutions and private households with electricity The costs asso­ciated with the concession are borne by the operators of the state electricity market Yet indi­vidual oligarchs dominate the market a few private companies prevent competition and make high profits In addition to the general risk premium on capital costs in Ukraine fixed prices and market concentration make investment in new energy sources difficult The tariffs of the state-owned Ukrainian grid operator Ukrenergo for the transmission of electricity are also too low; only gov­ernment guarantees are saving Ukrenergo from bankruptcy makes it dif­ficult to renew power lines and trans­former stations there is a lack of institutions and legal framework the Ukrainian electricity sector is not yet equipped for automatic cross-border electricity trading (“market coupling”) as is being introduced in the EU to make optimal use of the existing sys­tems of institutional stability and legal certainty The benefits of integration can­not be fully exploited if physical coupling is used for bilaterally negotiated supplies only which are not organised via a transparent market could severely strain the liquidity and resilience of the comparatively small electricity markets in East-Central Europe in cooperation with EU partners such as EEX or Nordpool efforts could also be made to establish a marketplace The necessary regulatory steps are being accom­panied by the Energy Community and the EU Commission’s Ukraine Support Group in any case Ukraine also needs either its own carbon pricing system that can be linked to the EU ETS in the medium term or at least a sys­tem of green certificates accepted in the EU To ensure that truly carbon-neutral energy arrives in Germany reporting and verifica­tion mechanism must be introduced will only benefit from a connection to continen­tal Europe if foreign actors can operate in the country safely and with legal protection fair and long-term rules that are consistently enforced The EU can help remedy the lack of self-commit­ment in Ukraine’s energy policy by making certain (financial and regulatory) concessions conditional on Ukraine’s compliance with agreed electricity market rules The list of challenges in terms of technical operation and legal regulation is rather long Both sides must also assess and evalu­ate the implications of a technical connection of Ukraine to the European continental grid This is because a synchronous con­nec­tion would have non-negligible repercussions on the neighbouring states and thus also on the security of supply and the gen­eral security situation in the EU This will make it neces­sary to pay attention to such repercussions Ukraine would be called upon to contain conflict potential at least through early tech­nical coordination namely by dis­cussing the implications with its neighbouring countries and ideally negotiating a road­map for parallel decoupling Given the difficult and complex geopolitical situation that has arisen following the annexation of Crimea and the military destabilisation of eastern Ukraine such a cooperative ap­proach by Ukraine seems highly unrealistic all parties should be inter­ested in coordinating the decoupling so as not to trigger a new energy dispute An intensification of the conflict would become problematic for Ukraine, especially in winter. The country’s electricity and heat production is as dependent on Russian nuclear fuel rods as it is on regularly sup­plied coal and gas from Russia (see Map 1) A particularly precarious situation had emerged by mid-November 2021 Low coal and gas storage levels could allow Russia to put Ukraine’s energy security to a serious test by supplying only small amounts of gas This has already led to discussions in Ukraine about resuming electricity imports from Belarus In addition to these current and immediate energy security issues Ukraine has repeatedly been subjected to hybrid attacks on parts of its power grid It is difficult to attribute the cyber attacks to a state per­pe­trator but it can be assumed that Russian hackers have the appropriate skills and that Russia has detailed knowledge of the func­tioning of the Ukrainian power grid the Kuchurgan gas-fired power plant in Trans­nistria was the subject of a dispute with Moscow This large plant generates 80 per­cent of Moldova’s electricity needs or if the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya with its total capac­ity of six gigawatts failed with a high potential for contagion throughout the entire synchronous network The fact that geopolitics and energy net­works are part of the Kremlin’s strategic toolbox was illustrated by how swiftly elec­tricity was supplied to Crimea after the annexation using new power lines across the Kerch Bridge The occupied territories in eastern Ukraine are likewise a de facto part of the Russian power grid and have already been disconnected from the Ukrainian grid In return for the US restraint in not im­posing sanctions on Nord Stream 2, Ger­many has expressed its willingness to Washington to support Ukraine. The US and Ukraine referred to Ukraine’s integration into the European network in their Charter on Strategic Partnership While ENTSO-E will have to address the remaining technical operational challenges, because of their political implications they should not be left to a technical body alone. Synchronous electricity grids are “commu­ni­ties of solidarity and fate” in which all par­ties share benefits and risks This requires a high degree of trust in both reliable tech­nical operation and largely stable and depend­able cooperation in the future This is because electricity grids are managed at three levels: a) at the level of technical opera­tion and infrastructure with which a synchronisation process is also underway Ukraine and Moldova are not members of the EU nor will they become so in the fore­seeable future Owing to the EU’s strong and well-defined institutions all EU mem­ber states have mostly equal control over the electricity system Ukraine and Moldova will be largely excluded from this in the case of synchronisation of the Ukrainian grid with the continental grid the country would also need to be more involved at the non-technical gov­ern­ance levels Electricity market integration means not only physical interconnectivity The regu­latory framework underlying synchronisation does take into account the interoper­ability of systems and cross-border lines as well as their technical integrity and secu­rity there are clear gradations between the EU and its neighbours in terms of inter­connection and trade contacts The Energy Community has been the instrument to advance physical and market integration But the common body of law as well as network codes (i.e the rules for network operation) have become increasingly sophisticated the obstacles to integration are also getting higher For the electricity system to be technically and operatively functional the motto is “Rules before Joules”: first im­plement the rules This also applies to the inte­gration of the markets Berlin has assumed a key role in connecting Ukraine the new German govern­ment will have to act in consultation with Brussels and the other member states there are three options for action for Berlin Merely let the technical process run its course most likely the process will not be concluded even if none of the parties openly opposes synchronisation This would put Ukraine in a difficult position with regard to green energy investments Not only would it contradict the German-American declaration but it would also bring the EU no closer to its geopolitical goal of making the con­tinent climate neutral Restrict the connection to a direct cur­rent close coupling (B2B) This would leave Ukraine in “quasi-island” mode and would probably also involve higher costs in the long term Define a clear roadmap that encompasses support for the technical and political pro­cesses which power lines should be built and which investments should be made technical risks could be managed and political costs calculated This would be a prerequisite for a sustainable solution The EU has to make political decisions about the reforms that Ukraine should implement in terms of regulation as well as trading and markets Berlin will have to moderate and prepare the decision-making process Depending on how the process is implemented Ukraine will either create confidence that it wants to join the EU in the long term or expectations of future upheavals and disintegration tendencies (e.g in the event of a change of government in Ukraine) Two controversial issues need to be kept in mind here The EU’s carbon border ad­just­ment mechanism will constrain free trade of electricity and increase the price of electricity imports There is also the threat of tensions with Belarus and Russia the competition over electricity integration could lead to a con­frontation between electricity blocs This is why Germany should act as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine The following points will require a political decision: whether the connection is to be realised only via B2B or whether the EU wants to implement real synchronisation via alternating current (AC) lines 2026 or later – coupling or synchronisation should take place A gradual sequencing in different phases could also be considered which grid connections specifically are to be put into operation Ukraine’s neighbours might agree in prin­ciple to synchronisation but might not want a direct/powerful electricity connec­tion to their national grids the role of the existing and future electricity mix for cross-border trade with the EU nuclear and coal-derived power dominate but Ukraine has great potential for renewable energy unequivocal decisions are needed to establish a transparent political process A clear sequence would make it pos­sible to identify milestones in the pro­cess (in terms of time and quality) for check­ing whether conditions have been met If synchronisation is poorly prepared tech­nically and if no-one takes political responsibility this could lead to nasty surprises for both sides Lukas Feldhaus is an analyst in the “Low Carbon Ukraine” project Dr Kirsten Westphal is Senior Associate in the Global Issues Research Division at SWP Dr Georg Zachmann is Senior Fellow at Bruegel © Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik This Comment reflects the authors’ views SWP Comments are subject to internal peer review, fact-checking and copy-editing. For further information on our quality control pro­cedures, please visit the SWP website: https://www.swp-berlin.org/en/about-swp/ quality-management-for-swp-publications/ German Institute for International and Security Affairs Ludwigkirchplatz 3–410719 BerlinTelephone +49 30 880 07-0Fax +49 30 880 07-100www.swp-berlin.orgswp@swp-berlin.org (English version of SWP‑Aktuell 72/2021) cities and provinces can be challenging at the best of times Now try doing it during the middle of a global pandemic the new dean of the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) the physical move proved easier than expected but the challenge of connecting with her colleagues through virtual means only has given her a new appreciation of what most USask students are experiencing as they adjust to starting the semester remotely “I can really relate to the students who are starting their courses in a virtual way because I have been doing the same thing and I have some understanding of what that might feel like for them,” said Burshtyn who began her five-year term at USask on July 1 thinking about how you build new relationships through virtual means But what I have found is that people have been very generous with their time and I have had lots of one-on-one meetings online with both staff and senior leadership.” Burshtyn’s background in graduate student administration helped her hit the ground running as the university geared up for the start of the fall term with the focus largely on remote learning as most students staff and faculty continue to work from home she has spent just a day in her new office (“Just enough time to put my signature coffee cup on the desk,” she said) “I can really relate to the students who are starting their courses in a virtual way because I have been doing the same thing and I have some understanding of what that might feel like for them.” “I am really impressed with how well our unit is doing working remotely,” she said “One thing that I have come to realize is how much I usually rely on non-verbal cues and looking at body language especially in trying to become familiar with the staff I am hoping that I am developing other skills and maybe my listening skills will actually improve because of this experience.” Burshtyn brings extensive experience to USask with a resume of success in leadership roles in graduate student education at the University of Alberta including having served as associate dean as well as interim vice-provost and dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research She also brings a passion for research shared by graduate students and post-docs giving her unique understanding of their particular program challenges facilities and collections to conduct their work “I absolutely think having that connection is a great way to keep me grounded because those of us who work in labs and collections we really love what we do and research is our passion,” said Burshtyn “I think it is very important to have that connection with the students we have also been focused on how we communicate with students and a new virtual orientation and onboarding platform online was already in the works because a lot of thought and research went into making it from the student’s perspective as opposed to what we think students need to know These are the silver linings that we find in going through this experience.” As she continues her crash-course in connecting with colleagues and senior leaders in colleges across campus Burshtyn has set a number of priorities and goals as the new academic year begins “The big things that I am really focused on are equity and to figure out where a college of graduate students fits into the broader strategies that the university is already engaging in,” she said “I am also really interested in developing clear learning outcomes to help students through to their next career steps and that is not just the research-intensive thesis-based students “The third goal has to do with keeping our faculty engaged Sometimes it’s simply to be in the room and involved in conversations about the students to be there to always ask how this will impact graduate students in particular.” Burshtyn is also looking forward to resuming her own active research program funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Burshtyn’s groundbreaking work in regulation of immune cells is internationally recognized and she wants to continue her research on checkpoint inhibitors in human killer cells “There are ways that the immune system has of distinguishing between something that is foreign and dangerous to temper the immune response so that it does not start to cause pathology and damage,” she said “This is something we are seeing in COVID-19 Overreaction of the immune response that is damaging in tissues such as the lungs.” I hope to establish a modest research program here to continue my work because I continue to be passionate about research.”  Together, we are addressing the world's greatest challenges. Join our ambitious vision for the future The University of Saskatchewan's main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis. © University of SaskatchewanDisclaimer | Privacy | Accessibility Kolovorot, a heavy metal merchandise shop located in Kharkiv, Ukraine, has been destroyed as a result of the brutal invasion by Russian forces, in which civilian areas have been heavily targeted despite the Russian government alleging otherwise Both the shop and the Metal East Nove Kolo festival which is largely organized at the place of business are connected with artists with well-known racial prejudices and far-right political extremism On the morning of Feb. 24, Russia officially invaded areas of the eastern Ukrainian border as president Vladimir Putin alleged his wartime objective was to "denazify" the neighboring country while coming to the aid of its self-proclaimed independent territories that had been formed by separatists Putin's claim has been widely regarded as bogus and insincere, masking a much more entangled and complex list of reasons, but the proliferation of Nazi ideologies by far-right extremists in Ukraine, however, is legitimate heavy metal artists with similar ideological affiliations are quite prevalent and occupants of the worldwide black metal sect dubbed NSBM — national socialist black metal Kolovorot's business dealings involved dozens of metal artists many of which are not enmeshed with far-right extremists or politics and prejudice of any sort One group frequently touted by the metal merchant was Nokturnal Mortum whose past lyrical themes pertained to anti-Semitism Current vocalist Knjaz Varggoth also was a previous member of the band Aryan Terrorism a live member of Russian national socialist band Temnozor issued an album titled Aryan Nation's Rebirth Nokturnal Mortum were also tabbed by the Metal East Nove Kolo festival's organizers as one of the acts at the intended live event in June later this year. The shop's name also graced the top of a flyer for a 2019 show featuring Nokturnal Mortum Graveland (a Polish black metal band with lyrical themes dealing in aryanism) and Burshtyn (a Ukranian black metal band formed by ex-members of pro-national socialist group Dub Buk) Varggoth distanced himself from these political affiliations in 2014 by stating he no longer discusses his views Nokturnal Mortum have continued to engage in activities with other notable NSBM artists On Facebook, the festival lamented the destruction of the Kolovorot shop in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city and one that has been continuously shelled by Russian invaders who remain intent on capturing cities as part of the ongoing war "It is the very small part of the results of Russian invasion in Ukraine," read part of the post which was accompanied by photos of the carnage We ask bands which have played at our festival bands with which we have cooperated via Musical Hall/Kolovorot all the customers and fans to spread the word and to help stop war in Ukraine And then we will see you all at Metal Fest: [Nove Kolo] and in the renewed Kolovorot," the statement continued It is important to note that in this reporting Loudwire is not alleging the owners and operators of Kolovorot nor the Metal East Nove Kolo festival explicitly share the same ideological and political viewpoints of select aforementioned artists Nokturnal Mortum also shared evidence of the widespread destruction in Kharkiv, urging support for Ukraine and called the shelling of civilian areas "absolutely expected war crimes from these [Russian army] losers." The shop worked with festival organizer's who frequently booked notable NSBM acts, too.\nRead More Kolovorot, a heavy metal merchandise shop located in Kharkiv, Ukraine, has been destroyed as a result of the brutal invasion by Russian forces, in which civilian areas have been heavily targeted On the morning of Feb. 24, Russia officially invaded areas of the eastern Ukrainian border as president Vladimir Putin alleged his wartime objective was to "denazify" the neighboring country while coming to the aid of its self-proclaimed independent territories that had been formed by separatists Putin's claim has been widely regarded as bogus and insincere, masking a much more entangled and complex list of reasons, but the proliferation of Nazi ideologies by far-right extremists in Ukraine, however, is legitimate Nokturnal Mortum were also tabbed by the Metal East Nove Kolo festival's organizers as one of the acts at the intended live event in June later this year. The shop's name also graced the top of a flyer for a 2019 show featuring Nokturnal Mortum Varggoth distanced himself from these political affiliations in 2014 by stating he no longer discusses his views On Facebook, the festival lamented the destruction of the Kolovorot shop in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city and one that has been continuously shelled by Russian invaders who remain intent on capturing cities as part of the ongoing war The cult Ukrainian place of underground merch Nokturnal Mortum also shared evidence of the widespread destruction in Kharkiv, urging support for Ukraine and called the shelling of civilian areas "absolutely expected war crimes from these [Russian army] losers." Russian missiles are shelling the central part of Kharkiv This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page It forces you to look into the bigger picture." the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies hosted the 2023 USask Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Finals a PhD student in the department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences Pujari will now compete against top 3MT competitors from across Western Canada this May at the Western Regional 3MT competition grad students are expected to effectively describe the breadth and significance of their research for a broad variety of audiences “Scientists used to be an elitist group and they wouldn’t share their research in a manner that everybody can understand,” explained Narsimha things need to be more accessible to people and that’s why I was interested in the 3MT,” Throughout Narsimha’s time in grad school he’d noticed that the length of time allotted to students has been shortening and shortening challenging students to find creative ways to summarize the significance of their research “I would say that reading is the most absolutely necessary part of being a scientist The only reason we cannot summarize something is because we don’t understand it enough.” Once he made the decision to take part in the USask 3MT competition “I must have spent a few hundred hours on YouTube just watching past competitions where the [3MT] started,” shared Narsimha “What really stood out was how some students take it to the next level and do something unexpected,” He studied the University of Queensland’s 3MT resources to learn presentation tips “You have to surprise your audience and learn from all the online tools that are available,” When asked about advice for grad students interested in the 3MT pick the harshest group of friends,” says Narsimha “Do not pick a group of friends that will just say that you’re doing a good job because they will not improve your speaking style You need to present your work to an audience that doesn’t know anything about your research and can tell you if you’re doing something wrong,” the best way to ensure you capture the attention of the 3MT judges and audience is by rehearsing your presentation in front of people from a diverse variety of specialties and experience levels “When you are making groups of students and friends to practice things with make it as diverse as possible,” he explained because you have no idea how these people have different perspectives on different projects.” Narsimha’s second tip for 3MT success is simple: practice “There is nothing more valuable than practice Practice thousands of times,” he said Creating an effective script for your 3MT presentation can help you tell a cohesive story to illustrate your research you should never memorize your script to the word because if you forget one word you will lose your train of thought and not be able to come back,” advised Narsimha The final piece of advice offered by Narsimha is to make time to read “The whole reason people cannot describe something in a period of time is that they have not read enough,” Making time to read academic articles in your field can help you develop confidence in your ability to summarize your research and stay on track during your presentation grad students should aim to read at least two papers every week to stay on top of the research happening in their field “You need to be up-to-date because when you’re not confident in your field the audience will not be convinced you know your stuff.” Narsimha will go on to present his 3MT talk ‘Flirty Flies to Funky Physiology: The Impact of Sex on Female Metabolism’ at the Western Regional 3MT competition hosted at the University of Saskatchewan on May 25th and faculty are invited to gather at Quance Theatre for the opportunity to watch 3MT champions from across Western Canada take the stage to compete for the top spot Together we will support and inspire students to succeed. We invite you to join by supporting current and future students' needs at USask Article re-posted on Jun 18, 2024 10:40:53 AM.View original article. Ukraine will receive new military aid from Lithuania according to the German Ministry of Defense German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius praised Lithuania's strong support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia's aggressive war He added that Lithuania achieves an extremely high level of military assistance Pistorius also said that the accompanying sale of six Amber-1800 radar systems is Lithuania's contribution to saving lives in Ukraine “Thank you also for your participation in our air defense initiative,” he said Amber-1800 is a ground-based mobile radar station developed by the Lithuanian company LitakTak The station is designed for automatic detection of airborne objects the station is localized under the name Burshtyn-1800 a sample was demonstrated on a KrAZ-7634 chassis Lithuania has been providing military support to Ukraine since the first days of the full-scale war and is one of the most active countries in this regard Lithuania has recently provided Ukraine with M577 armored personnel carriers ammunition for the Carl Gustaf anti-tank grenade launcher This year marks 75 years since the University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (CGPS) was established and 70 years since the institution awarded its first PhD in 1952 Debby Burshtyn (PhD) highlights how USask graduate programs have changed over the past three-quarters of a century The first USask PhD was awarded at 1952 Spring Convocation to Alastair Graham Walter Cameron of Winnipeg Cameron did his doctoral work in the field of nuclear physics using USask’s betatron—the first accelerator of its kind in the country Cameron went on to have a distinguished career as an astrophysicist at Harvard University associated with the National Academy of Sciences and NASA the American Physical Society cited Cameron “for his pioneering work in developing the fundamental concepts of nuclear astrophysics are still the basis of current research in this field.” USask also conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws on Cameron in 1977 USask has come a long way in expanding its program offerings and the outcomes for those who complete graduate programs Graduate studies are unique in that they allow students to pursue further training in an area of interest—leading to accreditation for a specific career or to generate new knowledge in their discipline through research—and every student’s path is ultimately different master’s degrees were stepping stones to PhDs and PhDs were only training to become an academic,” said Burshtyn noting how programs have changed over the last 75 years most recently in the social sciences and humanities that there wasn’t necessarily a direct academic career opportunity for every PhD that was being graduated.” CGPS is now looking at how it can provide necessary skills training during graduate programs while students continue to study in their areas of interest “The world has changed the substance of what people are working on but the degrees themselves have not changed tremendously over a very “What has changed is the career trajectory of those graduates.” As institutions have grown and expanded the climate of the outside world has also shifted reflecting new needs in industry and academics that graduate programs work to prep students to meet A shift to more community-engaged scholarship where outcomes from research activities directly impact a community has been a major change in the past 75 years of research-based graduate programs “We see less students entering graduate studies because they’re just curiosity-driven,” said Burshtyn there is a much greater emphasis on seeing a clear application for research and also working with communities directly.” She added that there are more necessary competencies for today’s graduates including leadership and inclusion planning in research design activities are also a major focus for graduate students in today’s programs “It’s about really understanding that as a professional these are core skills and competencies that students need to have,” she said Developing programs and training opportunities that fit the needs of the world are primary to the college’s strategy moving forward with Burshtyn noting “a huge priority is Indigenization and decolonization.” “We want to make sure that the different ways of knowing are integrated into curriculum and one thing we are doing is providing training opportunities for our graduate students in their capacity as teachers so they have an understanding of the importance of reconciliation,” she said healthy interaction with students throughout their journey with us.” Considering that many graduate programs take many years to complete and are offered in a very different format than undergraduate studies—with many involving independent work that can feel isolating—Burshtyn said CGPS is working to prioritize the mental health and unique life situations of graduate students and offer supports accordingly with updated policies to better support students Burshtyn said their team is in the process of establishing a student scholarship fund to commemorate the 75th anniversary of CGPS healthy interaction with students throughout their journey with us,” said Burshtyn we can really take on that leadership role to make CGPS a more inclusive safer and healthier space for all of our students.” Ukraine's energy company DTEK has calculated the total number of attacks on Ukrainian thermal power plants since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion "If we count since the beginning of the full-scale invasion the occupiers have shelled our thermal power plants almost 180 times," he said the shelling on April 27 was the fourth major attack after similar shelling on March 22 "We are currently analyzing the consequences of this attack (April 27) Four power plants have suffered quite substantial damage," Sakharuk added Russian forces continuously attack TPP in Ukraine all units of the Burshtyn and Ladyzhyn TPP were damaged by Russian strikes three thermal power plants in Ukraine were attacked at once and an energy worker was injured there were reports of a total of 160 strikes on TPPs since the invasion began On April 11, the Trypillia TPP in the Kyiv region was completely destroyed. It was the largest electricity supplier to three regions - Kyiv On the night of April 27, the Russian army attacked four DTEK thermal power plants. The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) is home to more than 7000 graduate students in more than 500 programs with the most diverse student body on campus The varied experiences and diverse perspectives you bring to the university enrich our ways of thinking and innovating I hope you will take advantage of the many opportunities to learn from each other Empowering students for their futures in the broadest sense is one of my top priorities as Interim Dean FGSR offers an array of opportunities for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to develop their academic and professional skills I encourage you to take advantage of workshops on research ethics The Graduate Teaching and Learning Program is designed to help you refine your instructional skills You can sharpen your professional skills by attending our professional development workshops and becoming a community volunteer We also support you with access to high-quality mentorship and work experience opportunities through our Career Mentoring Program for Graduate Students and the Graduate Student Internship Program FGSR is engaging the campus in lively discussions on important questions about how we must adapt to our changing environment How do we build future-focused interdisciplinary and community-engaged graduate programs How can we be informed allies in the process of reconciliation I encourage you to contribute to shaping the future for graduate studies through involvement in university governance and other collaborative opportunities across campus and in the wider community We are pleased to welcome you as junior colleagues into our community of exceptional scholars and these world-class facilities and collections your own we're here to support you on your path to success your journey of growth and learning in the FGSR community labs and research stations are primarily located on the territory of the Néhiyaw (Cree) Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and Anishinaabe (Ojibway/Saulteaux) lands that are now known as part of Treaties 6 The University of Alberta respects the sovereignty knowledge systems and cultures of all First Nations