Russian strikes leave Ukrainian civilians in eight regions without electricity

The assaults are part of Russia's campaign to plunge Ukraine into darkness.

May 2, 2024 - 17:13

Russian strikes leave Ukrainian civilians in eight regions without electricity

As of 2 May, Russian missile and drone attacks have left civilians in eight regions of Ukraine without electricity, according to the Ministry of Energy.

Russian ballistic missile strikes have damaged half of Ukraine’s energy system. Despite this, the country continues its combat operations, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Foreign Policy in a recent interview.

The official emphasized that while the approval of US assistance undoubtedly lifted the morale of the Ukrainian people, he considers that including a Patriot battery immediately after backing the aid bill would have provided an even stronger effect.

“We’re holding on because we’ve learned a lot. We’re resilient; we understand the stakes. But for your viewers to understand, half of our energy system is damaged, and we still need to govern the country, conduct military operations, and gather support from around the world,” Kuliba said.

While many believed that Russia would launch a large number of missiles on Ukraine’s energy system this winter, the campaign of destroying the country’s critical infrastructure facilities intensified this spring.

Currently, in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, only 33 people are left without power because supply services repaired the facilities after the Russian strikes, bringing electricity home to 7400 people.

The situation is more dire in Kherson and Kharkiv oblasts with nearly 30,000 Ukrainians remaining without power.

Earlier, Mykhailo Samus, deputy Director at the Army Research, Conversion, and Disarmament Center said that Ukraine could not protect its thermal stations, grids, and power lines, because it simply lacked enough air defense units to protect all its strategic objects while the West hesitated with the air defense systems.

From exporter to importer overnight: Russian missiles knock out Ukraine’s power grid amid weakened air defense

Ukraine’s largest commercial power company DTEK, which owns the lion’s share of thermal power plants in Ukraine, said it lost 80% of its energy production just in the first two attacks.

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