- The Russian military recently renewed attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities
A massive missile attack has destroyed one of Ukraine’s largest power plants and seriously damaged others, officials say.
The Trypilska plant, the largest energy supplier for the Kiev, Cherkasy and Zhytomyr regions, remained on fire after its transformer, turbines and generators were swept away.
Workers were able to save themselves by taking cover after the first drone strike, said Andrii Gota of Centrenergo, the state-owned company that operates the factory.
He told the BBC: ‘The scale of the destruction is terrible. It cannot be expressed in money. This is the biggest challenge for us in the entire history of the company. But I am convinced that we can handle it.’
The Trypilska plant was the largest energy supplier for the Kiev, Cherkasy and Zhytomyr regions. Emergency workers extinguish a fire after a Russian attack
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said more than 200,000 people live in the region. Smoke and fire rise from the scene of a rocket attack amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine
He said the factory could be rebuilt but would be vulnerable to attack without strong air defenses from Ukraine’s allies.
He said, ‘We can fix it. We can do the impossible. But we need protection.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities a response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries.
Russia recently renewed attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities, and attacks last month blacked out large parts of the country
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities a response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries.
The Trypilska plant supplied electricity to three million customers, but no one lost power as the grid was able to compensate as demand is low at this time of year.
Still, the impact of the strikes could be felt in the coming months as air conditioning use increases in summer.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said more than 200,000 people in the region, which has been repeatedly affected, were without power.
Russia recently renewed attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities, and attacks last month darkened large parts of the country – a level of darkness not seen since the early days of the 2022 full-scale invasion.
