The state-owned power grid operator Ukrenergo reported on April 8 that Russian forces had used over 1,200 missiles and kamikaze drones to attack Ukraine’s energy system since October, when Russia unleashed its first mass missile attack against the country's critical infrastructure.
The attacks killed dozens of people and forced authorities to impose blackouts.
According to the report, some 250 missiles and drones hit Ukernergo sites, causing an energy deficit.
It was “the most difficult heating season in the history of the Ukrainian energy system,” Ukrenergo said, adding that 43% of the energy grid was damaged.
UNDP and Ukraine’s Security Service estimate $1 billion is needed in 2023 to restore the energy infrastructure.
Moscow admits that Ukraine’s energy system is one of its primary targets. According to the Geneva Conventions, attacking vital public infrastructure constitutes a war crime.
Russia’s campaign to severely degrade Ukraine’s unified energy system within the winter has highly likely failed, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on April 8.