Following the spate of recent high-precision russian attacks on DTEK energy infrastructure in Ukraine, a team of ABC News reporters - Tom Soufi Burridge, Natalya Kushnir, and Yuriy Boyko - visited the damaged DTEK thermal power plants to witness the aftermath first hand.
DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko told ABC News it has “never been this bad”, with the company now operating at around 20-30% of its normal output.
Engineers and maintenance crews at DTEK's plants are now tasked with clearing vast amounts of debris from the missile strikes.
The article quotes Oleksandr, a DTEK worker, who said the Russian attacks have become increasingly accurate. In previous attacks, the Russians hit equipment on the periphery of a plant, he said. Now, they were successfully striking core facilities, such as the engine room, which is vital for the plant's overall operation.
DTEK production worker Vasil said: "Without energy, production will just stop, everyday life will stop, we [in Ukraine] will return to a primitive and communal life."
Mr Timchenko said the recent spate of Russian attacks should be "a wake-up call" to Western allies.
His warning is stark: Just two or three more attacks from Russia on Ukrainian power stations and "there will be nothing [to] restore."
Read the full article on the ABC News website.
