«Thermal power plants under attack for a reason»: Zhdanov reveals what to expect this winter

Ukraine is facing a tough autumn and winter, likely with power outages due to Russian strikes. This is confirmed by the massive Russian attack on the night of September 8 targeting the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant (TPP) in Ukrainka, Kyiv region.

Military expert Oleh Zhdanov shared this in a commentary for TSN.ua.

«The TPPs are under attack for a reason. They understand that knocking out thermal power plants and hydroelectric power plants leads to the shutdown of nuclear power units. Nuclear power units cannot operate without thermal and hydroelectric plants because they are unable to respond to sudden changes in grid load,» the expert explains.

The Russian army is likely capable of launching massive combined strikes on Ukraine several times a week. According to Zhdanov, the Russian military has never removed Ukraine’s energy infrastructure from its priority targets, as it is one of the ways to exert pressure on civilians.

«They understand that on the battlefield, even if they hypothetically defeat our entire army, someone else will step up to fight. And politically, Ukraine will not agree to their terms. Therefore, they need to shape public opinion. To do this, they must pressure the civilian population. Hence these massive raids and the targeting of everything from private homes to energy infrastructure. With their mass scale, they can hit a larger portion of these targets,» the expert says.

What happens next — whether Ukrainians will face a winter without electricity — depends entirely on the density and resilience of Ukraine’s air defense.

«Because the night before last (September 7), there were so many drones that by 4 a.m., when cruise missiles arrived, nothing was operational except machine guns. Everything had already been fired, used up, and so on. The strike on the Cabinet of Ministers could also have happened due to a shortage of air defense firepower,» says Oleh Zhdanov.

Going forward, the situation, particularly with potential power outages due to strikes, will depend on the intensity of the attacks and Russia’s ability to stockpile drones.

At the same time, Russia has demonstrated the technical capability to launch over 800 drones in a single night, the military expert says.