Japan to send power equipment, gabions for its protection to Ukraine – ambassador

Japan is preparing to hand over generators, large transformers, and other power equipment to Ukraine this October, as well as gabions for its protection.

The relevant statement was made by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine Kuninori Matsuda, who is finishing his diplomatic mission, in an interview with Ukrinform.

“From October, we are preparing to provide generators, large transformers, and other power equipment. In particular, we will hand over small generators to settlements in eight regions, such as Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Poltava, Zhytomyr and Kirovohrad, as well as state-owned energy companies,” Matsuda said.

In his words, Japan is planning to supply cogeneration turbines and gas cogeneration plants, paying special attention to Kharkiv. The diplomat mentioned that Japan was also considering the possibility of providing additional large transformers.

“But, if the provided equipment is destroyed, then our efforts will be in vain. Hence, we are now preparing to provide gabions – the protective structures for such generators. We call them ‘soil armor’. Deliveries will start this October, and will be completed before the end of the year,” Matsuda noted.

According to the ambassador, as stated by the Ukrainian side, Japanese gabions are particularly effective when protecting objects from the debris of missiles and drones downed by air defense systems.

“We cannot claim that gabions ensure 100% protection. But, from the experience of real attacks, we know that they show a certain level of effectiveness. Thus, we would like to further increase their supply,” Matsuda stressed.

A reminder that, on October 2, 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine Kuninori Matsuda, and thanked him for building meaningful and strong relations between Ukraine and Japan.