DTEK: Russian attack on power plant in front-line Ukrainian region causes blackout

Russia’s overnight attack on a front-line Ukrainian region damaged a thermal power plant operated by the country’s energy giant DTEK, the company reported on Nov. 27.

For security reasons, DTEK does not specify where plants that are hit by strikes are located, presumably to avoid giving up sensitive information about the location of Ukraine's critical infrastructure.

Residents of a nearby settlement were left without power following the overnight attack, according to the DTEK.

This was Russia’s fifth strike on front-line DTEK facilities over the last month, the company added.

DTEK’s head Maksym Timchenko said on Nov. 17 that Ukraine needed more Western air defense systems, such as Patriot and IRIS-T, to better protect its critical infrastructure from Russian attacks.

From fall 2022 to winter 2023, Russia launched a series of mass strikes across the country, targeting critical infrastructure sites and causing widespread power outages. Local authorities were forced to install power cut schedules to preserve electricity.

All 13 of DTEK's power stations, which supply power to more than seven million Ukrainian families, have been reportedly hit by Russian attacks. Since April, eight of the 13 have been repaired and are operational, while another two are still being repaired.

So far, the power situation across the country has been rather stable, even as Russia continues to target critical infrastructure.

With winter approaching, is Ukraine’s energy system ready for renewed Russian attacks?

The specter of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy system looms once again as winter rapidly approaches. Last year in early October, just as Ukraine’s heating season began, Russia launched a month-long series of missile and drone attacks against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leading to blackouts…

The Kyiv IndependentAlexander Query