War

Ukraine will prepare a list of targets that Russia should not hit: what will be on it

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Ukraine will prepare a list of energy, civilian and infrastructure facilities that Russia should not hit under a possible agreement on a partial ceasefire. He said this at a press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.

“If we have such an agreement, there will be a list of objects. We have it – a list of civilian, energy and infrastructure facilities, and we will definitely prepare this list and give it to our partners. And if the Russians do not attack our facilities, we will not attack their facilities,”

– the President said.

He emphasized that such an agreement with Russia could only work with the mediation and guarantees of the United States, as no agreements with Russia work.

“Putin’s assurances and words that he gives an order not to hit the energy sector are not enough. This war has made us very practical people. An example is yesterday’s strike after Putin said that there would be no strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure. He said he had given the order. And then there were 145 attack drones, 4 S-300 missiles, 2 Iskander ballistic missiles. There were strikes on the railroad, on agricultural enterprises, and 21 civilian buildings were hit. Words are not enough,”

– zelensky said.

Yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin for more than two hours and failed to agree on the announced 30-day ceasefire. All Putin agreed to was a joint cessation of air strikes on energy infrastructure.

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What can be included in the list

Ukraine’s energy system is one of the largest in Europe, covering the generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption of electricity. It includes various types of power plants, an extensive transmission network, and infrastructure to ensure the stability of energy supply.

The power system includes the following categories of power plants that may be included in the list of critical facilities:

• Nuclearpower plants (NPPs) – Zaporizhzhya (temporarily occupied by Russia), Rivne, Khmelnytsky and South Ukrainian NPPs, which generate more than 50% of the country’s electricity. Also important is the Chornobyl complex, which remains critical for nuclear safety.
• Thermal power plants (TPPs) and combined heat and power plants (CHPs) – provide backup and shunting load, use coal, gas, and fuel oil. The largest ones are: Burshtyn, Kryvyi Rih, and Trypillia TPPs. Some TPPs have suffered significant damage, in particular, Vuhlehirsk TPP was seized, and Ladyzhynska and partially Kryvorizka TPPs have significant damage.
• Hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) and pumped storage power plants (PSPPs) – Dnipro cascade (Kyiv, Kremenchuk, Kaniv HPPs), Dniester PSPP. The Kakhovka HPP was destroyed as a result of a Russian terrorist attack, which significantly affected the power system.
• Renewable energy sources (RES) – key wind and solar power plants that play a role in ensuring energy sustainability.

Trunk power grids

Critically important are high-voltage lines (750, 330, 220 kV), substations and distribution points that provide connections between power plants and consumers. The main operator is NPC Ukrenergo, while distribution networks are maintained by distribution system operators (oblenergos). The key facilities include:

• 750 kV substations – Zaporizhzhia, Vinnytsia, and Kyiv;
• high-voltage trunk power lines connecting the main energy regions of the country, for example, South Ukrainian NPP – Vinnytsia;
• backup power supply facilities to ensure uninterrupted operation of critical infrastructure.

Electricity distribution facilities

The list may include regional distribution stations of 110 kV and below that serve strategic enterprises, medical facilities, water supply systems, and transportation infrastructure. In particular

• substations supplying large industrial centers (Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv);
• power supply facilities for railway infrastructure that are critical for cargo transportation and military logistics;
• distribution hubs of large cities, such as the Kyiv energy hub.

Integration with the European energy system

Ukraine operates in the ENTSO-E unified energy system, so international connections can be included in the list of facilities requiring special protection. The key elements include:

• Power lines connecting Ukraine with European countries (lines with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania);
• substations that ensure a stable exchange of power between Ukraine and Europe;
• burshtyn energy island, which is already fully integrated into the European grid.

The situation in the Ukrainian energy sector

Throughout 2024, Russia carried out regular massive attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector. For example, on March 22, 2024, Russia carried out one of the most massive attacks in the entire period of the full-scale war. In particular, Dniproges and other Ukrainian energy facilities were hit. Since then, Russia has been regularly shelling Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

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 heavily damaged.

After that, power outages started again in Ukraine, and the government raised the electricity tariff by 60% at once.

In this situation, the Cabinet of Ministers decided to build two new units at the Khmelnytsky N PP and has already received the approval of 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 hit distribution and power generation systems, and the Kyiv hydroelectric power plant was also attacked.

Russia carried out the most massive shelling of Ukraine on November 17, 2024, firing 127 cruise, ballistic, and supersonic missiles and 109 attack drones. DTEK reported serious damage to its thermal power plants.

After that, some experts predicted that blackouts could last until spring. And the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine voiced the worst-case scenario, which envisages blackouts of up to 20 hours a day.

However, as of early February, these predictions turned out to be wrong. Ukraine quickly coped with the consequences of the November shelling and went through most of the winter without massive power outages.

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