Striking repaired infrastructure: Russia destroys nearly all power generation restored since October

The urgent needs of the energy system exceed $1 billion, with transformers, mobile substations, network equipment, cables, and backup power sources required.

A key factor, Sobolev says, is the speed of equipment delivery. He made the remarks during a panel discussion at Ukraine House Davos, organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.

According to Sobolev, since October 25, Russia has damaged around 8.5 GW of Ukraine’s generation capacity, including thermal power plants, combined heat and power plants, and hydroelectric stations. A significant portion of facilities was attacked again after being repaired. Alongside severe cold, this has caused widespread blackouts in Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and Kyiv, cutting heating and water supplies for hundreds of thousands of households.

According to the minister, the electricity deficit is partly being covered by imports from the EU — about 1.9 GW, a record level — along with planned blackout schedules.

“Regarding gas, last spring Russia destroyed half of Ukraine’s production capacity, which was restored to 110% within six months, but another 40% was destroyed in the autumn. Ukraine has 13.2 billion cubic meters of gas in storage, but more than 4 billion cubic meters will need to be imported to get through the winter,” Sobolev concluded.