Maxim Timchenko, CEO of the energy company DTEK, has appealed to international partners to strengthen Ukraine's air defense to protect energy infrastructure from ongoing Russian attacks. He made this statement during a special event entitled "Support Ukraine, Defend Europe," organized by the Kyiv Security Forum Office in Brussels. According to the head of DTEK, the enemy is increasing the intensity of shelling and deliberately trying to disrupt the integrity of the Ukrainian energy system.
Substation Strikes Hit the System Even with Sufficient Capacities
Timchenko stressed that Russian strikes on substations and power transmission lines disrupt the energy system's operation even when generating capacities are formally sufficient. This means the problem lies not only in electricity generation, but also in its transmission and distribution. According to DTEK's CEO, the situation remains particularly difficult in the central and eastern regions of Ukraine, where infrastructure is subjected to the most intense impacts.
Equipment Shortages and the Limits of Passive Protection
The company's head noted that the intensity of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure continues to grow, while equipment reserves for repairing damaged facilities are insufficient. Timchenko also pointed out that passive protection of energy facilities cannot fully replace active air defense. That is why, he said, strengthening the protection of Ukrainian skies with the support of international partners remains one of the top priorities for ensuring the energy system's resilience under constant attacks.
Context: Energy Investments Amid War
The call to strengthen air defense comes against the backdrop of DTEK's broader position on attracting international capital. Previously, Timchenko urged international investors to take advantage of investment opportunities in Ukraine's energy sector. At the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland), he aimed to unite the global community to support Ukraine's energy system, emphasizing the unprecedented danger it faces due to Russian strikes. The company has stated its intention to continue investing in the development of Ukraine's energy sector despite the full-scale war and infrastructure destruction.
Thus, DTEK's position boils down to two interconnected tasks: ensuring the physical protection of the energy system through air defense means while simultaneously maintaining the sector's investment attractiveness for international partners, without whom, according to the company, the restoration and modernization of energy are impossible.
