Ukrainian Prime Minister, former energy company CEO, prepares for power outages and heating shutdowns

As Russia continues its attacks targeting energy facilities in Ukraine, major power generation facilities are being damaged one after another.

According to the Kiev Independent, a Ukrainian media outlet, on the 19th (local time), the thermal power plant of DTEK, a private energy company in Ukraine, was attacked by Russia the previous day and the facility was damaged.

The company explained, “The facility was seriously damaged and power production was halted.” It is unclear when power production can resume.

The DTEK thermal power plant has reportedly been attacked by Russia more than 230 times since Russia's invasion in February 2022. Last June, a Russian attack resulted in casualties, including the death of one employee.

Naftogas, a Ukrainian state-owned energy company, is also suffering from Russian attacks.

Naftogas announced on the 17th that it had been attacked by Russia 13 times in the past week and about 300 times this year. The company said Russia had attacked its facilities across Ukraine, causing significant damage to its equipment and production capacity.

Last winter, as Russia intensively attacked Ukraine's energy facilities, citizens who were deprived of electricity and heating suffered from extreme cold below -20 degrees Celsius.

Ukrainian authorities believe that Russian attacks targeting key infrastructure will continue before the start of winter this year and are preparing for it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the importance of preparing for winter when he appointed Serhiy Koretsky, CEO of Naftogas, as the new prime minister last month. “The top priority is preparing for winter,” he said, emphasizing that Korecki is the right person for the position of prime minister.

Fighting between the two sides continued last night.

Four people were killed when a bus was struck by a Russian drone in Ukraine's Kherson region, according to local authorities. Russia's Tula and Nizhny Novgorod are known to have been attacked by Ukraine's drones.