Russia keeps striking Ukraine’s energy system. Winter resilience plans are less than half complete
Ukraine is racing to shield heat, water, and rail from Russian strikes—but new locomotives will not arrive before 2027.
Russia continues to target Ukraine's energy infrastructure as the country prepares for winter, with regional resilience plans only reaching 47% completion, according to audited figures. Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi informed parliament on August 21 that some regions had advanced while others lagged behind, and some deadlines were at risk of slipping.
The audit assessed regional resilience plans, measuring routine heating-season maintenance and backup power at heat and water facilities. Russia has damaged over 250 Ukrainian locomotives in the past six months, and nearly 500 since the full-scale invasion began. Despite the ongoing attacks, only around 920 megawatts of backup power was available for heat and water facilities as of 12 August, short of the required 1,215 megawatts by nearly 300 megawatts.
The government allocated 63 billion hryvnias ($1.4 billion) for resilience and infrastructure protection in August, but the funding breakdown remains undisclosed. Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal reported that 1.8 gigawatts of small gas-fired generation was operational nationwide, with an additional 1.1 gigawatts in the process of installation or preparation.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decree mandates that regions increase their backup-power capacity by 20% and maintain enough fuel for essential services for at least two weeks. However, the decision does not specify how many facilities currently meet the fuel requirement. The first of 55 new Alstom freight locomotives will not arrive until early 2027, leaving repairs, used purchases, and leases as short-term solutions.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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