In a recent report, The Wall Street Journal has revealed the devastating impact of russia's missile-and-drone assault on Ukrainian power stations. The article describes the harrowing moment multiple russian missiles slammed into the turbine hall at a DTEK thermal power plant. A senior engineer said:
"When I came to my senses, I realized I was alive."
It was only as he made his way back to the control room that he felt the heaviness in his leg - a sharp object had pierced his calf during the attack.
Despite his injury, the engineer plans to return to work once his leg heals. However, he expressed a sense of futility in the face of the ongoing threat. "If the sky isn't closed, there is no reason to rebuild," he said, highlighting the persistent vulnerability of the power plants to further russian strikes. Less than a week later, russia struck the plant again.
According to the article, this new wave of attacks by russian forces aims to destroy generation capacity, which is more damaging than the previous strategy of targeting the electricity distribution network.
DTEK's CEO, Maxim Timchenko, stated in The Wall Street Journal that the russian strikes have knocked out 80% of the company's generation capacity. The damage is staggering, with Timchenko estimating it will cost over twice the $110 million already spent on repairs during the war's first year.
