Interior Ministry reveals details of divers’ special operation at Kyiv CHP plant
A team of divers from the Special-Purpose Emergency Rescue Unit of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES) in the Cherkasy region was involved in eliminating the consequences of damage to a hydraulic structure that cools the equipment of one of Kyiv’s combined heat and power (CHP) plants.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine reported this, according to Ukrinform.
As noted, as a result of enemy aggression, the integrity of the structure was compromised, causing the facility to begin flooding, while technical conditions did not allow work to be carried out in a standard mode.
“The divers’ task was to restore the integrity of the hydraulic structure as quickly as possible. The work was complicated by the design features of the facility: a diver descended into a shaft and then moved through a narrow passage measuring approximately 1.5 by 0.8 meters to the site of the damage,” the Interior Ministry said.
Deputy Head of the Unit and Head of the Special High-Risk Underwater Operations Group of the Special-Purpose Emergency Rescue Unit of the SES in the Cherkasy region, Andrii Vlasenko, said the facility was technically complex and dangerous. According to him, the diver worked in a narrow shaft without communication, effectively “blind.”
“That is why we actively used underwater robotic equipment to see the diver’s condition and monitor the process. Even with state-of-the-art gear, the risks remained: cold, metal icing, and technical malfunctions. But without these operations, restoring critical infrastructure would simply be impossible,” Vlasenko explained.
The ministry added that additional danger was posed by the reinforced structure: hydroacoustic communication did not work, and the signal line proved ineffective due to a 90-degree turn in the shaft.
Under such conditions, the diving operations were carried out with the use of remotely operated underwater vehicles, which ensured visual control and continuous monitoring of the diver’s physical and psychological condition.
A representative of the SES said that eight personnel were involved in the operation, including five divers, a medical worker, drivers, technicians, and engineers.
“The work lasted six days. The process had to be repeatedly suspended due to technical malfunctions of the pumps, dangerous water breakthroughs, and air raid alerts, during which underwater descents are prohibited,” the civil protection service colonel said.
The Interior Ministry reported that despite the use of modern diving equipment specially selected and purchased for the unit, extreme temperatures created additional risks, as metal elements iced over, potentially putting the diver in danger.
According to Vlasenko, in addition to human resources, three types of underwater robots provided by international partners, including Denmark and France, were used in the operation.
The ministry noted that medium- and large-class underwater vehicles proved to be the most effective, while the smallest ones were used for continuous monitoring of the diver.
“Such tasks are not new for divers of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Previously, they also worked at one of the hydroelectric power plants of the Dnipro cascade after massive drone and missile strikes, clearing underwater areas of explosive debris so that restoration work could begin safely,” the Interior Ministry said.
As reported, SES divers conducted a unique underwater special operation in 15-degree frost to eliminate the consequences of a Russian strike on one of Kyiv’s combined heat and power plants.
Photo: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine