Ukraine’s Minister of Energy Svitlana Hrynchuk categorically denied information regarding the alleged lack of protection for the country’s energy facilities. According to her, the implementation of physical protection at key energy sites has prevented significantly larger consequences from attacks by the Russian Federation.
This is reported by Finway
Protection of Energy Facilities and the Work of Energy Workers
During a joint press conference with Germany’s Minister of Energy, Katharina Reiche, Svitlana Hrynchuk emphasized that the current system of physical protection has significantly reduced the scale of damage to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The minister noted that air defense and physical protection are working in harmony; however, due to the massive attacks from Russia, it has not yet been possible to completely avoid damage.
“If it weren’t for the physical protection that has been established at energy facilities, the strikes we are currently experiencing, along with the tactics employed by the Russians, could have caused much greater losses, and we would already have many more outages, making the situation much more complicated,” Hrynchuk said.
She stressed that the intensity of attacks, with over 100 or even up to 200 drones simultaneously targeting a single facility along with missiles, creates extremely challenging conditions for the full protection of energy enterprises.
Restoration and Equipment Reserves
Svitlana Hrynchuk noted that prior to the onset of massive shelling, forecasts for the winter period were optimistic—many generating capacities had been repaired, and systems for the transmission and distribution of electricity had been restored. However, energy workers are now working around the clock to address damages after each attack.
Regarding the percentage of destruction of energy facilities, Hrynchuk explained that it is difficult to determine, as restoration work is ongoing, and damaged facilities are being returned to operation in the shortest possible time. The minister emphasized that all energy workers are continuously working to ensure a high level of readiness for the system.
She also mentioned that thanks to the support of international partners, Ukraine is strengthening its equipment reserves in preparation for various potential scenarios of further attacks.
It is worth noting that earlier, media reports suggested a lack of protection at Kyiv’s thermal power plants. However, this information was denied by the Kyiv City State Administration. According to Deputy Head of the KCSA Petro Pantelyev, the capital’s thermal power plants have first-stage protection in accordance with the requirements of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Petro Pantelyev also added that detailed information regarding the state of protection of energy facilities is not disclosed for security reasons. He stressed that experts commenting on these issues are well aware of the prohibition on publicly disclosing such information. The official urged media and officials to refrain from spreading unverified information, especially regarding critical infrastructure facilities.