The Power Within: The Kyiv Independent’s first-ever magazine. Be among the first to get it.

pre-order now
Skip to content
Edit post

Energy Ministry: Russian attack on front-line power plant causes energy deficit

by Dinara Khalilova and The Kyiv Independent news desk December 7, 2023 6:56 PM 2 min read
Transmission towers and power lines near a missile-damaged high-voltage electricity substation, operated by a state-owned company Ukrenergo, in central Ukraine, on March 1, 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Russian troops struck a thermal power plant in one of Ukraine's front-line regions on Dec. 7, causing a shutdown of two power units, the Energy Ministry reported.

The shutdown, combined with decreased temperatures, led to a power deficit in Ukraine's energy system, according to the ministry.

Ukraine's energy companies do not generally disclose the exact locations of facilities targeted by Russian attacks, presumably to avoid giving up sensitive information about the country's critical infrastructure.

To compensate for the energy shortage in the system, Ukraine's state-owned grid operator Ukrenergo has reportedly used emergency assistance from Romania, Poland, and Slovakia.

Ukrenergo and the Energy Ministry urged consumers to save electricity, especially during peak load hours.

Early on Dec. 7, the Energy Ministry said that 408 settlements across Ukraine were left without access to electricity due to active hostilities in front-line regions and technical problems in the power network.

As the cold weather sets in, Russia has ramped up its attacks against energy infrastructure in areas close to the front lines.

Last fall and winter, Russian troops launched widespread attacks on the country's energy system, nearly causing its collapse in some areas.

Kyiv’s local businesses gear up for another difficult winter
Reflecting on last fall, Anya Selezen recalls the painful moment that Russia launched 84 missiles and 24 kamikaze drones at Ukraine on Oct. 10, the first of a long series of devastating attacks targeting the country’s critical infrastructure through the winter. “It was very hard. We didn’t have

News Feed

5:03 PM

Azov ex-commander on the need to reform Ukraine's army.

The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell sits down with the former commander of Ukraine's Azov Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Krotevych, to discuss the situation on the front line after three years of Russia's full-scale war, why he thinks Ukraine should change its culture of military leadership, why the U.S. army doctrine wouldn't work for Russia's war against Ukraine, and shares his takes on Russia's next steps after a potential ceasefire.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.