Many Ukrainian power stations struck by Russia will remain offline until at least next summer, DTEK Chief Executive Maxim Timchenko told AFP, warning of strain on electricity and heating as winter approaches.
AFP identifies DTEK as Ukraine’s largest power company. Timchenko said Ukraine’s air defenses are struggling to stop the barrages. Ukraine relies on scarce U.S.-made Patriot interceptors, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged allies to increase deliveries, AFP reported.
Timchenko said a single station faced a barrage involving dozens of drones, 25 cruise missiles and six or seven ballistic missiles. He said Russia has used twice as many ballistic missiles as in previous years.
Russia has also targeted transmission lines and substations, Timchenko said. Damage to that equipment can interrupt electricity for households and businesses even when power stations remain in operation.
AFP reported that the strikes have disrupted electricity and heating for millions. Last winter, heating outages affected about half of Kyiv’s apartment blocks as temperatures fell to minus 20 C (minus 4 F).
Timchenko said many stations hit in recent weeks will remain out of service until at least next summer, while some will need longer to recover.
He described Russia’s effort as an attempt to create a “humanitarian disaster” and called Kyiv an “obvious and primary target.”
