AFP report: Inside a Ukrainian power plant devastated by russian missiles

A recent report by Agence France-Presse (AFP) published by Barron’s shows a stark look inside one of DTEK’s power plants after repeated russian attacks. The location is undisclosed for security reasons.

Days after the latest strike, the air inside the plant still smells burnt. Snow covers twisted metal and shattered equipment. What was once a functioning power station now resembles a wasteland of charred pipes and silent turbines.

Despite the devastation, energy workers continue working to stabilise the system and restore electricity where possible. Oleksandr, 53, head of the plant's production management department, was honest about the recovery timeline: "I would like to say months, but it will probably take years."

For shift supervisor Volodymyr, 53, who has worked at the plant for 27 years, the destruction is deeply personal. Yet colleagues arrived immediately after the strike, even those who were on holiday.

"This is our life, you understand?" he says.

The attacks are not only destroying infrastructure but also the communities built around it. "All these people have spent half their lives working there," says Ania, 22, whose mother has worked at DTEK for three decades. "And now everything is destroyed."

Yet resilience endures. Local resident Veronika, 24, whose aunt works at the plant, now lives with electricity available for just one hour every six hours. "Metal can be rebuilt," she says. "The plant's chimneys are still standing, and so are we."

Since the start of russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine's energy infrastructure has been struck more than 220 times.

Read the report here.