Concerns about electricity supply in Ukraine after Russian strikes / Article

“On the day of commemoration of the victims of the Second World War and victory over Nazism, Nazi Putin launched a massive missile attack on Ukraine,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on the “X” social network.

“The whole world must understand who is who. The world must not allow a new Nazism,” he added.

Ukraine’s largest electricity supply company, DTEK, that three thermal power plants under the company’s control were damaged in this morning’s attacks. In the last almost two months, this was the fifth attack on the facilities of this company.

Energy objects, approximately 30 residential buildings, public transport, cars, as well as the building of the fire and rescue unit in Zaporizhzhia will be shelled by Russian forces. It is known that three people were injured – two were wounded in the Kyiv region, and a child was wounded by gunfire in the Kirovohrad region.

All the cruise missiles launched by Russia have been shot down over the capital Kyiv, said Serhii Popko, the head of the military administration of the Kyiv region. He assured that there was no damage and no casualties in the city.

Anti-aircraft defense systems were also operating in Lviv. Explosions were also heard in Zaporizhzhia.

Russia has attacked a gas infrastructure object in the Lviv region.

“Of the 12 rockets that flew into the territory of the region, the air defense managed to shoot down the majority – eight. Unfortunately, there have been hits, (..) where the enemy has already aimed several times this year at the gas infrastructure facility, and there was also an attack on the heat generation station. Fortunately, there were no casualties ,” said Maksims Kozickys, the head of the military administration of the Lviv region.

Despite the attempt to destroy this gas infrastructure object in the Lviv region, it has not been critically damaged and the underground gas storage can continue to be used.

Ukraine’s Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said Russian missiles and drones also targeted energy facilities in Poltava, Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Vinnytsia regions. The minister did not say whether the Russian attacks had caused any damage.

On the morning of May 8, Russia also attacked the civilian railway infrastructure in Kherson. As a result of the impacts, the tracks and the railway station were damaged. Train movement between Kyiv and Kherson is temporarily limited to Mykolaiv, but passengers will be transported to Kherson by buses.

Russian troops attacked Ukraine from the air with 76 different weapons – 55 missiles and 21 “Shahed” combat drones, announced the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force Mykola Oleschuk.

According to him, the Russian forces used one Kinzhal missile, two ballistic missiles fired from the Iskander-M complex, four Kalibr left-hand missiles, one cruise missile fired from the Iskander-K complex, two guided missiles Kh-59/X-69 and 45 cruise missiles Kh-101/X-555.

Ukraine’s air defense forces managed to destroy a total of 59 missiles and drones.

On the night of May 8, the Russian occupiers attacked three thermal power plants, seriously damaging the equipment.

“Another extremely difficult night for the energy sector of Ukraine. The enemy fired at three of our thermal power plants. The equipment has been seriously damaged. Energy workers are currently working to eliminate the consequences of the attack,” Ukrainian energy company DTEK reported on the Telegram communication site.

This is the fifth mass Russian attack on Ukrainian energy facilities in the last month and a half.

“Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the thermal power plants of “DTEK” have been fired upon approximately 180 times. During this time, 51 employees were injured and three energy workers were killed in the firing at the stations,” stated “DTEK”.

According to the Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine, Hermana Holushchenko, after last night’s attacks, the worst situation regarding electricity supply still remains in Kharkiv and Kharkiv region.

There, the most extensive damage in Ukraine was also caused on March 22 – that day the area was completely without electricity and partly without communications. Planned power outages continue there, as it will take longer to restore the damage, besides, Russia attacks anew almost every day, and where everything has already been put in order, work has to be started all over again.

Switches for industrial consumers are also in Krivijrich. And as the deputy minister admitted on Wednesday, Ukraine will most likely use the opportunity to buy electricity from its Western neighbors on Wednesday evening, because due to the damage caused, it will not be enough to cover all needs. Residents of Ukraine are also invited to save electricity – especially in the evening and morning hours, when consumption is higher.

As a result of last night’s devastation, damage was done not only to the electricity supply infrastructure, but also to some civil infrastructure object in Brovaros – on the outskirts of Kyiv. As a result of the attack, two people have also been injured and taken to hospitals.

CONTEXT:

Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked large-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, the Kremlin’s propaganda brazenly promised to capture Kyiv in three days, but the selfless and strong resistance of the Ukrainians prevented the Kremlin from realizing its plans.

After failures, the Kremlin withdrew the army from the Kyiv region, but in the fall of 2022, as a result of a successful counteroffensive, Ukraine managed to drive out the occupation forces from the Kharkiv region and the city of Kherson. In the summer of 2023, Ukraine launched a new counteroffensive, but it was unsuccessful.

On the other hand, in 2024, due to the lack of weapons, Ukraine mostly has to defend itself against Russian attacks, although the Ukrainian leadership emphasizes that it has not given up on the goal of expelling the occupation forces from the entire territory of Ukraine.