- Russian strikes destroy key power plant near Kyiv
- Trypillya plant shutdown impacts electricity supply in three regions
- Devastation raises concerns about Ukraine’s winter energy supply
Early Thursday morning, Russian strikes destroyed a key power plant near Kyiv, according to the energy company Centrenergo.
Officials stated that the Trypillya power plant supplied the most electricity to three regions, including Kyiv.
“The magnitude of the devastation is horrifying,” stated Andriy Hota, chairman of Centrenergo.
Russia has consistently and intentionally targeted the energy infrastructure of Ukraine.
Thursday morning’s strikes, according to Mr. Hota, devastated “the transformer, the turbines, and the generators.” They destroyed one hundred per cent.
The turbine workshop of the Trypillya plant, situated 50 kilometres (31 miles) south of Kyiv, was engulfed in flames on Thursday, subsequent to the extensive aerial assault that occurred on that day.
The head of Centrenergo stated that numerous missiles were aimed at the facility. He stated that the staff on duty managed to escape by fleeing for cover as soon as the initial drone strike occurred.
It was recommended that inhabitants close their windows, recharge all electronic devices, and restock on water.
On Thursday morning, over eighty missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles targeted locations throughout Ukraine. Almost one-third of the missiles that targeted energy infrastructure managed to breach the Ukrainian air defences.
Centrenergo verified hours later that its Trypillya facility had been decommissioned. Mr. Hota stated that the entire generative capacity of his company in Ukraine had been depleted.
It was among the main suppliers of electricity and heat in Ukraine. It also managed two additional power facilities, one of which was shut down in late March in the Kharkiv region and the other in a portion of the Donetsk region that Russia occupied in 2022.
Mr. Hota states that the Kharkiv and Trypillya power facilities combinedly produced an estimated 8% of the nation’s electricity in the past. Three central regions in Ukraine were supplied with electricity by the Trypillya thermal plant: Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, and Kyiv.
He believed that while the devastation of the Trypillya plant would not pose a significant threat to Ukraine during the summer, it would escalate into a “giant problem” by winter.
Although the facility can be reconstructed using European spare parts, it will remain susceptible to attack in the absence of robust air defences provided by Ukraine’s allies, according to him.
“We are capable of repair.” The impossible is attainable. However, protection is required.”
In the western region of Ukraine, at least two additional thermal power facilities experienced “significant damage” overnight, further straining the nation’s electricity supply.
DTEK had already reduced its capacity by 20% as a result of recurrent assaults in March.
According to the organisation, the most recent missile and drone assault on these “purely civilian power stations” would complicate efforts to supply the grid with critical energy.
DTEK reported that Russia is attempting to suffocate Ukraine’s energy system and, by extension, our hard-won independence, attack by attack.
The northeastern Kharkiv region has once again been severely impacted, as its power facilities sustained extensive damage in late March.
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The situation was characterised as “extremely difficult” by the mayor, who also declared additional blackouts for businesses and residences.
To conserve energy, the Kharkiv metro temporarily ceased operation on Thursday. Subsequent to its restoration, the power supply fluctuates significantly, resulting in the trains operating only sporadically.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, “massive strikes” conducted by Russian forces against Ukrainian oil, gas, and power energy facilities “disrupted the operations of military industry enterprises in Ukraine.
Unprecedented daytime attacks on Thursday claimed the lives of four individuals and injured a number more in the southern Ukrainian capital of Mykolaiv.
The Ukrainian Southern Military Command reported via Telegram that the “insidious” assault caused damage to private residences, automobiles, and industrial facilities.
