More than 70 Russian missiles and around a hundred explosive drones targeted Ukraine during Christmas night. They particularly targeted power plants, forcing the network manager to implement cuts across the country. The DTEK group, the country's main energy supplier, has recognized “serious damage” on its infrastructure, as well as the death in Zaporizhia of an engineer with thirty years of seniority.
The company recalls that this attack is the thirteenth of its kind this year. Since the start of the war, DTEK power plants have been hit 200 times. “Depriving millions of peaceful people celebrating Christmas of light and warmth is a depraved and evil act”judged its president, Maxim Timchenko, on December 25. In kyiv, the temperature is around zero degrees.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also accused Russia of “consciously chose Christmas”. These bombings come in fact while Ukraine now celebrates the birth of Christ on December 25 to get closer to Western Europe, and no longer on January 7 as was the custom until 2022, i.e. the same date than Russia.
An old power plant purchased in Lithuania
As Ukraine soon enters its fourth year of war, it is increasingly difficult for it to preserve its production capacities. Employees of Ukrenergo, the network manager, are struggling to repair the damage in real time and keep the lights on. They also negotiated with Turkey the rental of floating generators, moored in the port of Odessa and connected to the network in order to provide new capacities.
They also try to find spare parts in all former socialist countries where the same type of equipment is in use. Ukraine has purchased an old Lithuanian power plant which must be dismantled and transported piece by piece to Ukraine in 2025.
Ukraine can also count on its nuclear power plants. Before the war, they provided half of the country's electricity. Three are still in operation in Rivne, Khmelnitsky and near Mykolaiv. Russia has seized that of Zaporizhia, the largest, but for the moment has not targeted the others.
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