The Trypillia Thermal Power Plant in Kyiv Oblast can be restored with international help but this will be "futile" without more air defense, Andrii Hota, the chair of Ukraine's state energy company Centerenergo's supervisory board, told Voice of America on April 11.
The Trypillia Thermal Power Plant was completely destroyed in a Russian attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure on April 11, leading to the total loss of Centrenergo's generating capacity.
The plant is located less than 30 kilometers south of Kyiv and was the main power supplier to Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Cherkasy oblasts.
The Russian strike led to a large-scale fire in the turbine house of the plant. All of the plant's workers who were on the shift during the attack survived.
"We can restore everything," Hota said, but this will require the help of international partners, as equipment like turbines or transformers come from European countries.
"But without a sufficient number of missiles for anti-aircraft defense, it will, to put it mildly, be a futile affair," Hota added.
Russia began to intensify its attacks on energy infrastructure in March, when Ukraine started to face a critical shortage of air defense systems and ammunition.
Kyiv has been urging allies to provide Ukraine with more air defenses, in particular, with U.S.-made Patriot systems that can intercept ballistic missiles.
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine needs 25 Patriots to cover the country completely, but Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he is initially focused on securing seven.
Martin Fornusek
