Vitaliy Zaichenko: Restoration of Ukraine’s energy system will take weeks
After another massive attack by Russia on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, it will take weeks to restore it, said Vitaliy Zaichenko, chairman of the national energy company “Ukrenergo”.
Zaichenko noted that in most regions of Ukraine, the duration of power outages increased from 8 to 12-16 hours due to the recent strikes. According to Zaichenko, this could have been avoided if not for the new attacks. He emphasized that to improve the situation, it is important to change consumer behavior, urging them to reduce electricity use to the necessary minimum, paying attention to the use of energy-intensive appliances at night or during sunny weather.
As a result of the latest attacks, objects of the private energy holding DTEK and numerous substations of “Ukrenergo” were damaged. According to Zaichenko, Russia used more than 700 means of destruction, some of which were intercepted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but a significant part reached the targets. At the same time, the capacities of nuclear power plants were damaged, which have now partially resumed their operation, but it will take time to restore full generation.
On the night of December 5 to 6, Russia launched another missile-drone attack, firing 51 missiles and 653 drones. Ukrainian defense forces managed to shoot down 30 missiles and 585 drones. Nevertheless, numerous damages were inflicted on the energy system and civilian infrastructure. This is the eighth large-scale attack this year that has affected energy system facilities.
On December 7, “Ukrenergo” plans to implement electricity shutdowns in three to four stages, highlighting the complexity of managing the energy system in wartime conditions. Meanwhile, Moldova has approached Romania for emergency assistance in electricity supply.
| Date | Number of missiles | Number of drones | Interception | Attacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 6 | 51 | 653 | 30 missiles, 585 drones | 8th since the beginning of the year |
