Ukraine struggles to keep the lights on under Russian attack, says energy boss

Ukraine’s largest energy supplier is in permanent crisis due to Russian attacks on the network, its chief executive told the BBC.

Most of Ukraine is suffering long power outages because of falling temperatures, and Maxim Timchenko, whose company DTEK provides electricity to 5.6 million Ukrainians, says the intensity of the strikes has been so frequent that “we simply don’t have time to recover.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that Russia knows winter cold could become one of its most dangerous weapons.

“Every night, Ukrainian parents hold their children in basements and shelters hoping that our air defense will hold up,” he told the Dutch parliament.

As the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches, Maxim Timchenko claims that Russia has repeatedly targeted DTEK’s energy network with “waves of drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles” and that his company has struggled to cope.

Tens of thousands of people in the southern city of Odessa were without power for three days this week, following a coordinated Russian attack.

“Life has been difficult, but people support each other,” says Yana, who is one of those lucky enough to still have power. She invited friends over to her house to charge their phones.

Power outages have also cut off heating and water supplies and Yana says those still connected to the grid have offered strangers the chance to wash or take a shower.

Across Ukraine, electricity is rationed – with supplies being provided for a few hours a day.

Many Ukrainians rely on power banks and generators for backup, and the noise from generators in the capital is now more constant than air raid warnings.

Tetiana, a resident of kyiv, says the first thing she does in the morning is checks her phone for the daily power-on schedule. Like many, she invested in external batteries to make life more bearable:

“You must remember that when you leave the house, leave the powerbanks on so that you can recharge them when you return home.”

About 50% of Ukraine’s energy is currently supplied by three large nuclear power plants located in central and western Ukraine. But the network that transfers this energy has been seriously damaged.

DTEK operates about 10 power plants, most of them coal-fired.

One of them was recently targeted by five ballistic missiles and Mr Timchenko said some of their power plants and substations had been attacked “every three or four days”.

“I can’t remember a day when I didn’t receive any reports of damage to our network.”

Finding replacement parts to repair damaged equipment has become a major challenge.

The energy supplier was once able to source equipment from Ukraine, but now has to scour the rest of Europe for replacement parts.

This year, DTEK has had to spend $166m (£123m) to repair its damaged thermal power stations and coal-fired facilities.

“We will not give up,” insists Maxim Timchenko: “We have a responsibility towards millions of mothers to have access to electricity and heating.”

DTEK’s origins are in Donbass in eastern Ukraine, where the fighting is fiercest and electricity supplies have been most disrupted.

Eight of its engineers were killed in the line of duty.

“Every day they risk their lives to maintain power in this region,” Mr. Timchenko said.

Additional reporting by Anastasia Levchenko and Kyla Herrmannsen.