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Putin Is Trying a New Way to Kill Ukraine’s Electric Grid

TOS-1A Ukraine
TOS-1A fighting in Ukraine. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Ukrenergo Confirms “Colossal” Damage to Hydroelectric Stations in Ukraine: Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the CEO of Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s national power grid operator, described the “colossal” damage caused by Russian missile strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure.

Putin Goes to War on Ukraine’s Energy Grid

Speaking during a press briefing, the Ukrainian energy officials described how Russian drone and missile strikes have caused widespread power outages and that the country could face yet more trouble as the temperatures continue to drop.

“The scale of destruction is colossal,” Kudrytskyi said, adding that Ukraine is now struggling with a power generation deficit.

“We cannot generate as much energy as consumers can use,” he said.

Specifically, Kidrytskyi described how Russian missiles had targeted the country’s thermal and hydroelectric stations, with virtually none of the facilities left without damage following the most recent barrage of Russian missiles.

“There is no undamaged substations for the transportation of power in all the grid,” the Ukrainian official continued, adding that the country’s biggest and most important substations suffered between five and eight strikes each.

Ukrenergo also announced on Facebook this week that there are planned shutdowns in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, Donetsk, Poltava, Kharkiv, and Sumy.

Ukraine Establishes “Points Of Invincibility”

Authorities say that Ukraine could experience widespread power outages until the end of March when temperatures begin to pick up and Ukrainian civilians don’t need as much energy.

However, the scale of the damage is so bad – and there is no telling just how much more damage Russia will cause in the meantime – that it’s hard to predict just how long the power outages will last.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shymal shared a lengthy statement on Telegram from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, describing measures designed to ensure civilians have access to energy, heat, and water.

The post described the “Points of Invincibility” project that will respond to future Russian strikes on hydroelectric stations and other energy infrastructure.

“If massive Russian strikes take place again and if there is an understanding that the electricity supply cannot be restored within hours, the work of the ‘Points of Invincibility’ will be activated,” the prime minister advised.

“All basic services are there: electricity, mobile communication and the Internet, heat, water, and a first-aid kit. Absolutely free and around the clock.”

The points will be located at regional and district administration buildings, schools, and other emergency services buildings. Civilians will also be able to access information about the nearest functioning stores, pharmacies, and gas stations from these points.

Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor.

Written By

Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive's Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.

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