Since October, Moscow has been systematically destroying Ukraine’s infrastructure in order to demoralize the population. This poses enormous problems for the Ukrainians, on Wednesday there were large-scale blackouts.
The evening return of the Ukrainians resembles a procession of fireflies. Little lights dance in the dark backyards, alone and in groups. They are people who light the way from the bus stop to the house entrance with their mobile phones, forehead torches and flashlights. Around the Kiev settlement of Poznjaki, the street lighting is switched off and there is no electricity.
Since October 10, Russia has been targeting the most important parts of the infrastructure. Since then, the big cities have been regularly dark. A devastating attack also occurred on Wednesday, leading to emergency power shutdowns in all parts of the country. All nuclear power plants have been taken off the grid, and according to the national grid operator Ukrenerho, practically all large electricity and hydroelectric power plants have been damaged. As a result, there were also blackouts in neighboring Moldova.
A week ago, Moscow carried out over 90 rocket and drone attacks in the largest attack to date. Even if the specialists carry out the repairs as quickly as possible, the inhabitants of the war-torn country must be prepared for a cold and dark winter.
determination, fatalism and fear
Flashback to last week’s attacks: two young residents of the Poznjaki district, whose massive prefabricated buildings stand like dark rocks next to the main street lit by car headlights, are just returning home, armed with pizza and shawarma. “We’re going to sit down on the floor in the dark apartment, light candles and play Monopoly,” says one in passing. “Our boys are in the trenches, so we can take any inconvenience,” he calls into the darkness before climbing to the tenth floor. The elevator doesn’t work.
In the Georgian bakery on nearby Anna Akhmatova Street, Pasha Parnovsky is selling the last of the Khachapuri and Kubdari, typical bread dishes from this southern Caucasian country. He baked 20 pieces today because the electricity was only on for two hours, normally it’s 60. Now he’s sitting in the dark place. Only his bike light burns on a shelf.
Because of the power outage, Pasha Parnowski is only selling 20 Georgian baked goods in the Kiev settlement of Posnjaki instead of the normal 60.
“You can’t plan anything at all,” complains the 18-year-old student, who is also severely hampered by the power shortage in distance learning. The night before, the explosions didn’t let him sleep peacefully. “I was very afraid,” admits Parnowski, “the situation is bad.” Nevertheless, you get used to sitting in a dark apartment, without hot water and without flushing the toilet.
Russia’s dangerous detailed knowledge
Water, electricity and heat are in the Ukrainian supply system closely connected. For example, power plants on rivers provide a lot of energy, while water without electricity cannot reach the top floors of skyscrapers or be cleaned. The Russians are therefore targeting thermal power stations and transformer stations as well as dam locks and pumping stations.
Apparently advised by experts, they know exactly where to strike because the network was designed in Soviet times and the plans are stored in Moscow. As the Ukrainian energy specialist Andrian Prokip explains, this construction history is also an advantage for his country in the current situation: “The Soviets prioritized the robustness of the system, which should remain operational even in the event of a nuclear war.” In addition, due to post-Soviet deindustrialization, electricity consumption has fallen by half over the past 30 years and by a third since February 24.
Russia’s war has nevertheless severely weakened the infrastructure. According to Prokip Prior to Moscow’s coordinated campaign against these civilian targets, 15 of the original 56 gigawatts of total capacity had already been lost – due to the occupation of power plants and the shutdown of the Zaporizhia nuclear plant. There are no exact figures about the further losses. However, the CEO of Ukrenerho, Volodimir Kudrizki, spoke of the “most serious situation in our history”. Andrian Prokip estimates that the system has a power gap of at least between 10 and 20 percent at peak load.
Since Russia’s systematic attacks on the Ukrainian power grid, Kyiv has been in the dark on a regular basis.
Buses and traffic lights are the only sources of light on the streets, along with flashlights and car headlights.
At the end of October, an attack temporarily interrupted 80 percent of Kyiv’s water supply. Restoring these is always the first priority of the administrations, while the power outages often last longer: the capital region, which is the focus of the attacks because of its size and importance, has been operating for several hours a day with planned shutdowns for weeks. If the high-voltage grid is overloaded due to damage or failures, the national operator Ukrenerho also carries out regional emergency shutdowns to avoid a total blackout.
Selenski’s hometown on the back burner
Olexander Wilkul, head of the military-civilian administration in the southern Ukrainian industrial metropolis of Krivian Rih, also knows that local governments can only defend themselves to a limited extent. The 48-year-old sits in his office at the end of a dark hallway in the townhouse. “We are preparing to survive the most difficult winter in recent history,” says Wilkul, who was considered more pro-Russian before the warbut has since distinguished himself as a staunch defender of President Zelensky’s hometown.
Olexander Wilkul, head of the military-civilian administration of the industrial city of Kriwi Rih, predicts an extraordinarily difficult winter.
Zelensky’s hometown of Krivi Rih has switched off almost all outdoor lights and greatly reduced the frequency of public transport.
The steel and mining city benefits from the fact that the industry only produces on the back burner in view of the lack of export opportunities via the Black Sea. Those furnaces and mines that are still in operation work mainly at night. Across Ukraine, demand for electricity has fallen by about a third since February. Kriwi Rih has switched off most of the street lights to save electricity. The park in front of the town hall is in darkness and the frequency of public transport has been halved. Is that enough? “Not really,” admits Wikul. “But we can’t reduce any more.”
The city administration also provides for a blackout. “Hospitals and the water supply have priority,” explains Wilkul, smoking one cigarette after the other. Generators were installed there so that they would continue to function in the event of a power failure. In addition, like many cities, Kriwi Rih has set up “warming stations” where people can gather in winter. 71 are here.
Scarce generators
The city would like to set up more, but is unable to procure additional generators. Since private individuals and companies also rely on these autonomous energy sources, the Ukrainian market has been bought completely empty. The branch of the electronics chain “Eldorado” in the center of Kriwi Rihs can no longer even order them. Stabilizers to protect devices against fluctuations in the network are no longer available, and the prices for candles and flashlights have tripled in many places.
In response to the Russian terror, the Europeans recently increased their aid again. The Bank for Reconstruction and Development discusses an emergency loan of several hundred million euros for Ukrenerho. The EU said it had allocated €2.5 billion to help Ukraine prepare for winter. There are also 800 generators and Spare parts for the electricity network. According to Andrian Prokip, transformers for high-voltage networks are particularly difficult to source because these highly specialized and durable parts are only made to order. In addition, Europe sometimes uses a different technology than Ukraine.
Everyday life in Kyiv has become more difficult due to the constant attacks, and the cold makes the situation even worse.
Hope gives people when the electricity suddenly comes back after hours of blackouts and the lights in the black blocks of flats come on again.
However, as long as Ukraine does not succeed better in protecting its critical infrastructure, this will primarily be a symptom treatment. Ukrainian plans to cover transformer stations with sandbags also belong in this category. Kyiv is therefore demanding more military aid from the West: the USA, Great Britain and Sweden recently promised further deliveries of air defense systems. But neither missiles nor the cheap Iranian drones, which Russia may soon be producing in large numbers itself, can probably ever be stopped entirely.
The fact that Russia attacked the gas supply for the first time last week, at the same time as the first snowfall, can also be seen as an escalation. Many Ukrainians heat with gas. Should this system also come under pressure, it would mean a further strain on the electricity supply.
The next few weeks are therefore likely to be even more difficult for the Ukrainians, especially since the infrastructure in recently liberated areas like Cherson has been almost completely destroyed. Kyiv is therefore openly wondering whether people can spend the winter there at all or whether evacuations are necessary. In the capital, everyday life is still difficult, but at least the electricity keeps coming back after the outages: In the Poznjaki settlement, at least, the lanterns suddenly light up the streets again on November 16 at 7 p.m. sharp, and the dark windows of the residential towers become bright With that, normal life comes back – at least for a few hours.