The tactics of Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy sector have undergone radical changes. If at the beginning of the full-scale war the enemy attacked facilities in groups of 3–4 drones, today the scale of strikes has increased many times over. Russian forces have begun to strike in groups of 20–25 drones simultaneously.

This was stated by the Chairman of the Board of "Ukrenergo", Vitaliy Zaychenko. According to him, the goal of such massive attacks is not just targeted destruction, but the comprehensive destruction of the entire chain: from generation to the transmission of electricity.

The cost of destruction and lost capacity

Statistics confirm the escalation. The number of hits on energy facilities this year has increased by 36% compared to the first half of last year. The damage to just one company, "Ukrenergo", has already approached an astronomical figure — 90 billion hryvnias.

The situation in the market is critical: Ukraine has lost about 50% of its electricity generation capacity. The hardest hit was maneuverable generation, which plays a key role in maintaining the stability of the power system.

The financial consequences of the attacks are felt not only in the form of direct restoration costs, but also in lost profits. Due to forced power outages, "Ukrenergo" has lost 4 billion hryvnias in revenue since the beginning of the current year. In the period from January to April, supply restrictions reduced consumption by 6.5 billion kWh. For comparison: this volume of energy is equal to Kyiv's consumption for 1135 days.

Scale of outages and the human factor

Massive strikes at the beginning of the year led to unprecedented outages. The peak came on February 8, when more than 12 million customers were left without electricity at the same time. Zaychenko noted that the actual number of people left without electricity could have been even higher.

The consequences of the attacks are felt on the ground as well. Recently, Russian forces struck four energy facilities of the company DTEK in the Dnipropetrovsk region. As a result, tens of thousands of families were left without electricity, and the infrastructure suffered serious damage.

Challenges for the power system

Against the backdrop of constant threats, the power system faces a number of complex tasks. Vitaliy Zaychenko highlighted three key challenges:

  • Increased consumption in certain regions, requiring the redistribution of resources.
  • The need to integrate renewable energy sources into the general grid.
  • Ensuring the stable operation of the power system during Russian attacks.

According to the head of "Ukrenergo", the development of new generation has ceased to be just a matter of modernization — it is now a matter of national energy security.

In connection with colossal financial losses and the need for restoration, there is an urgent reason to review the tariff for the transmission and dispatch of electricity. The government has also announced the creation of national restoration brigades, which should help communities promptly eliminate the consequences of strikes.