Damage from Russian strikes on the facilities of the energy infrastructure of Ukraine “is approaching critical,” said Yanez Lenarchich on Thursday, November 17, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management.
Moscow Times writes that as a result of Russian missile shelling that began in October and then resumed in November after a 10-day pause, almost all the non-naval power plants of Ukraine, as well as at least a third of the substations distributing energy among consumers.
“Before the onset of winter, people lose electricity and heating,” Lenarchich stated, adding that the EU “works around the clock” to resume energy supply for millions of Ukrainian citizens.
Today, about 40% of consumers in Ukraine are left without light, said Dmitry Sakharchuk, Executive Director of DTEK energy operator. “The Russians caused very serious damage to the objects of the transfer. These are substations that transmit electricity from one area to another, through which many areas in the center and in the West,” he said.
After shelling on Tuesday, November 15, the largest from the beginning of the Russian invasion, the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant was stopped: the station lost access to external nutrition, without which the reactors are impossible to cool, and its two power units were disconnected from the network. Problems also arose at the Rivne nuclear power plant, where one of the four power units were stopped. Shelling on Thursday, November 17, led to the stop of the work of another thermal power plant, Sakhagarschuk said.
Ukrainian authorities warned Western allies that they expect Russian attacks in the coming days and may not cope with the restoration of energy facilities.
According to sources familiar with American intelligence data, Ukrainian officials asked the United States and several European countries about help, waiting for a long period with restrictions on the supply of light and gas. In Kyiv, they are worried that a possible collapse of energy systems will lead to fatal consequences, Politico sources say: food production and transport may stop, which will hit the army’s ability to continue fighting.
On Thursday, November 17, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Russia was striking on infrastructure facilities, which “directly or indirectly are related to the military potential of Ukraine.” According to him, the disconnection of light in the houses of Ukrainians is the “consequences of the” unwillingness of the authorities of Kyiv “go to negotiations” and “solve the problem.”