Russia Targets Ukraine’s Power Grid Again
On November 17, Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine’s power grid. The country’s largest private energy company, DTEK, was hit, causing “serious damage”.
According to DTEK, the thermal power plants were targeted. While no one was hurt, the equipment was badly damaged. Repair work began immediately after the attack.
This is not the first time Russia has attacked Ukraine’s energy facilities. Since the start of the full-scale war, DTEK’s thermal power plants have been hit over 190 times. This year alone, they have been targeted eight times.
Russia also launched attacks on other parts of the country’s power grid. Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said that power generation and transmission facilities were hit throughout Ukraine. Emergency shutdowns had to be put in place to prevent further damage.
The Volyn and Vinnytsia oblasts reported damaged energy infrastructure. Officials have been warning that Russia may resume its attacks on the energy grid as temperatures drop, just like it did last spring and summer.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in September that all of Ukraine’s thermal power plants were destroyed and almost all hydroelectric capacity was lost due to past Russian attacks. Ukrainian authorities and energy companies have been working to repair and reinforce these facilities.
A report by the International Energy Agency warns that Ukraine’s electricity shortage could reach 6 gigawatts this winter, which is about one-third of the expected peak demand. This summer, the power shortage was 2.5 GW, causing long blackouts in Kyiv.
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