Renewed Russian attack does ‘severe damage’ to Ukraine’s grid and power plants
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A fresh Russian wave of air strikes, including 120 missiles and 90 drones, hit Odesa yesterday killing at least 11 people and causing severe damage to power plants and grid operations.
According to Ukraine energy company DTEK, the attacks in part targeted energy infrastructure, causing significant damage.
DTEK had to initiate an emergency shutdown of power in the region after the attack, which they said was one of the most intense against the region. As a result, many homes and businesses in Odesa and the wider region are currently without power.
Shutdowns in the Kyiv, Dnipropretrovsk and Donetsk regions have now been reversed as energy workers stabilise the system.
DTEK in a release said it cannot disclose the number of power stations hit or the extent of the damage for reasons of national security, adding that its employees are now assessing the extent of the damage and are beginning work to clear the sites and begin full restoration.
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Winter preparations
DTEK chief executive Maxim Timchenko said the attacks had caused “severe damage to Ukraine’s energy system, including to DTEK power stations. These attacks again highlight Ukraine’s need for additional air defence systems from our allies to prevent more destruction. The supply of power to millions this winter depends upon it.”
The renewed Russian assault comes less than two weeks since Donald Trump, who claimed he could end the war in Ukraine in “less than 24 hours”, was elected into office on November 6.
That same day, DTEK Grids announced that it had completed the main stages of its preparation for the winter 2024-2025 season, bracing against the effects of continued attacks on power infrastructure as the cold sets in.
Specifically, according to a DTEK Grids release, energy workers repaired more than 5,000 facilities and 12,000km of overhead and cable power lines, as well as upgraded and modernised 76 power facilities.
At the time, DTEK Grids said that, by the end of the year, DTEK Grids DSO’s in all regions plan to invest UAH 4.54 billion (€1.02 billion) in upgrades, modernisation and repairs of power facilities.
Sunday’s attacks are the eighth wave of strikes against DTEK’s generation facilities this year and the 10th against the wider energy system in 2024. Russia launched its last major attack on 26th August.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, DTEK entirely civilian thermal power plants have been attacked over 190 times.
