“The current blackouts may be related to hits to power facilities” – Oleh Popenko
11 November 12:46
Emergency power outages have resumed in Ukraine, and according to the official position of Ukrenergo, these are preventive measures caused by a possible threat of an attack on the energy system. In an exclusive commentary to Komersant ukrainskyi
, energy and housing expert Oleh Popenko shared his view on the situation, noting that official statements can only partially reflect the real state of affairs.
“Ukrenergo says that these are preventive measures, and that it is due to the fact that this morning there was a flight of planes that could have hit our energy system. This is their official position,”
– says Popenko. However, according to the expert, it is likely that this is actually the result of another Russian attack on infrastructure facilities.
“I think there were hits, and we need to talk about the fact that the Russians are constantly hitting our energy system,”
– emphasizes the expert.
He adds that over the past two weeks, the country has experienced a series of attacks that have led to serious consequences. In particular, there were blackouts in Kherson, partially in Mykolaiv, and facilities in Sumy region were shelled, which had consequences for Sumy and Poltava regions. Last week, Zhytomyr region was left without electricity due to similar strikes.
“The Russians are hitting our energy system mainly along the border and along the frontline zone,”
– Popenko explains. The latest wave of attacks by Shahed drones has also caused damage to critical infrastructure, he notes.
“I think that the current blackouts are still related to the huge invasion of the Shahedis last night. Not all the facilities could be protected, and this led to the fact that we were forced to cut off the electricity,”
– said Popenko.
The expert warns that the winter may be extremely difficult due to the threat of further attacks and the need to restore damaged facilities.
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Situation in the Ukrainian energy sector
on March 22, 2024, Russia resumed its attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector, carrying out the most massive shelling in the entire period of the full-scale war. In particular, DniproHES and other Ukrainian energy facilities were hit. Since then, Russia has been regularly shelling Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
For example, the Russians destroyed the Trypillia and Zmiiv thermal power plants, causing Centrenergo to lose 100% of its generation. Also, 5 of DTEK’s 6 thermal power plants were severely damaged.
After that, power outages began again in Ukraine, Ukrenergo introduced blackout schedules, and the government raised electricity tariffs by 60% at once.
At the same time, the Cabinet of Ministers decided to build two new units at the Khmelnytsky N PP and has already received approval from the relevant parliamentary committee. The Razumkov Center has criticized these plans, but some experts believe that only traitors or scoundrels are against the construction of nuclear power plants today.
Russia launched another massive attack on the Ukrainian energy sector on August 26. This time, they attacked the distribution and power supply systems, and also hit the Kyiv hydroelectric power plant.
Some experts believe that the blackouts may last until spring. And the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine recently voiced a worst-case scenario that envisages blackouts of up to 20 hours a day.
