Ukraine's energy system is facing its toughest test yet. As attacks intensify, destruction is outpacing repairs and energy workers are racing against time to keep the country powered through winter.
In a recent article by The Economist, DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko describes the reality on the ground: repair crews working around the clock, often under threat, and a constant search across Europe for decommissioned transformers and equipment that can be retrofitted into Ukrainian power stations.
"russia has been hitting us harder than at any time since the full-scale invasion," Timchenko says. "The level of destruction is too great to recover everything. Our mission is to survive this winter."
The article details how DTEK teams are using the fastest methods available to restore generation, retrofitting old equipment, rebuilding substations, and keeping critical infrastructure running even as long power cuts affect major cities including Kyiv.
The Economist notes that russia’s increased focus on targeting substations in major urban areas marks a significant escalation. Yet despite the damage, emergency services continue to function, communities adapt and energy workers keep going, repairing, restoring and holding the system together, one site at a time.
