Russian attacks on power plants: What Ukraine expects in the winter

Russian Attacks on Power Plants: What Ukraine Expects in Winter October 15, 2026 Shortly before the start of the heating season, Russia attacks Ukraine's energy infrastructure again. According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyj on Telegram, facilities in Kyiv were hit by ballistic missiles in the middle of this week. The target was Power Plant No. 4, "one of the most important energy facilities in Kyiv," according to one of the posts. According to the Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyj, Russia attacked all three power plants in the Ukrainian capital. What are the consequences of the recent attacks? Energy expert Hennadii Rjabzhev believes it is too early to assess the consequences of these attacks. "The heating season officially starts on November 1st. In fact, it only begins when the air temperature drops below eight degrees Celsius for three consecutive days. Therefore, one cannot say that coping with the heating season has already been brought to a standstill," the expert told the Ukrainian news agency UNIAN. "There are damages, but how serious they are cannot be determined even a few hours after the attacks. However, the fact that electricity is currently flowing, albeit with interruptions, indicates that the energy facilities have not suffered significant damage," Rjabzhev says. Repairs and Emergency Plans in Kyiv The power plants in Kyiv, which supply the city with district heating, were already significantly damaged by Russian attacks last winter. For example, the damage to power generation in Power Plants No. 5 and No. 6 is so great that repair is considered economically unviable. In the privately operated Darnyzja power plant, the heat generation facilities have been repaired, says Petro Pantelejew, deputy head of the Kyiv city administration. At the same time, construction of five new medium-sized power plants as a replacement for Power Plant No. 4 is underway. "The work could be completed by the end of the year. I estimate that the projects are currently 50 to 60 percent finished," says Pantelejew. In addition to the large power plants, there are about 150 medium-sized boiler houses in Kyiv that supply almost half of the city with heat. In total, according to the authorities, preparations for the heating season have been implemented by 80 percent so far. According to Pantelejew, repairs to the pipeline networks are also ongoing. At the same time, the authorities are preparing for worst-case scenarios. In the event of a longer outage of the heat supply, they are creating lists of residents who are restricted in their mobility. They should be helped as quickly as possible and provided with accommodation in critical situations. Preparations on the Frontline There is no nationwide uniform date for the start of the heating season. The heating season in Ukraine begins as soon as the weather conditions require it. The exact timing is decided by the local administrations of the respective cities and communities. The situation near the front is the most difficult. The million-city Kharkiv, 30 kilometers from the Russian border, has been developing a decentralized heating supply from central heating plants in modular construction for several years. "The entire heating system cannot be switched over in one, two, or three years, as there is a dependence on large power plants," explained Mayor Ihor Terekhov recently to the RBC-Ukraine portal. He warned that this winter could be harder than the previous one despite all preparations. "It is difficult to foresee all the consequences of possible attacks. However, our municipal services will repair damages around the clock," Terekhov assured in Ukrainian television. Kramatorsk, only eight kilometers from the front line, is also preparing for winter. "There are damages every day. But the power plant, the main source of heat for the city, is almost ready for the heating season. Important parts of the facility are protected by gabions and nets," reports Roman Polischchuk, director of Kramatorskteploenergo. At the same time, he complains about insufficient funding. "For the start of the heating season, we should receive 50 million Hryvnia (approximately one million Euros) from the government for repairs and protective measures. But the purpose of the funds has been changed, and ultimately nothing has come from the pot to prepare for the winter. We were only able to prepare for the winter thanks to the help of UNICEF, which provided us with pipes, chemicals, and other necessary equipment," he says. According to Polischchuk, there is also a lack of repair crews and reserves of equipment. "Last year we had 32 operational outages due to shelling. Substations, boiler and turbine units, and the chemical department were damaged. We had reserves back then, but the coming season will definitely be more difficult for us," fears the head of Kramatorskteploenergo. Warning to the Residents of Kherson The situation in the city of Kherson, which is constantly under attack, is the most critical. At the end of the summer, Russia attacked the power plant there and caused "very serious damage" according to the authorities. "There will be no normal operation of the power plant this winter," writes the head of the territorial administration, Oleksandr Prokudin, on Telegram. One must know that in Kherson, electricity and heat could be cut off not just for hours or days, but for a long period. The authorities therefore appeal to the residents to retreat to safer areas. "This year there are many strong weapons like guided bombs. Therefore, there is no room for physical protection of critical facilities. It is difficult to protect a facility the size of a five-story building from ballistic missiles or bombs," says Kherson's deputy mayor Serhiy Orekhov. According to him, the city is still implementing projects for heat supply. However, he complains about a lack of funding and the difficult security situation. "Many construction companies do not dare to come into our combat zone. They also do not want to expose their equipment to risk. There is also a shortage of personnel in the enterprises, which are only staffed by 40 to 60 percent," he explains in the DW interview. What Awaits Ukrainians in Winter According to the Ukrainian government, almost 70 billion Hryvnia (approximately 1.4 billion Euros) have already been allocated for winter preparations, of which almost 44 billion Hryvnia (about 880 million Euros) are intended for the protection of critical infrastructure. Mykola Kolomyjtschenko, energy expert and former board member of the State Agency for Energy Efficiency, points out in a DW interview that there could still be outages in gas supply, which would be the biggest problem for the heating season. "The Russians could attack several distribution points to interrupt the central supply. They are already attacking the gas storage facilities," he warns. Kolomyjtschenko is pessimistic about the heat supply this winter and advises households to rely primarily on their own energy supply rather than hoping for centralized state solutions. Oleksandr Chartschenko from the Kyiv Center for Energy Research, however, believes that preparations for winter are going better than last year. He is optimistic about the gas supply. "The Ukrainian gas pipeline system is now twice, even three times larger. Even if a node is damaged somewhere, it can be restored within hours. Gas reserves also give cause for optimism. Therefore, I do not expect problems with the gas supply," says the expert. In his opinion, most cities face attacks on power plants and heating facilities. "They are already running, and one must know that it is much more difficult to ensure a backup supply for heat than for electricity," says Chartschenko, who believes that a spare parts inventory for quick repairs of power plants is necessary. "Heating boilers consist of pipes with different diameters. If you have spare parts and corresponding pipes in stock, you can repair them," he emphasizes. Adaptation from Ukraine: Markian Ostaptschuk