Russian strikes destroyed one of Kyiv’s major power plants on April 11, according to energy provider Centrenergo. The Trypillya power plant was the key electricity power to three major Ukraine reasons, one of them being Kyiv.
The airborne drone strike was very effective, prompting Andriy Hota, the chairman of Centrenergo, to describe the scale of the destruction as “terrifying.” The turbines, generators, and transformers were utterly destroyed, Mr. Horta said. Following the initial explosions, fire broke out in the plant’s turbine, spreading further ruin throughout the facility.
In addition to drones, Mr. Hota reveals that multiple missiles were also involved in the strike. Staff who were working at the time ran for cover as soon as they heard the first detonations, and all were able to escape.
Before the war, Mr. Hota’s company operated three power plants providing electricity and heat to Ukrainians. Its Kharkiv regional plant was destroyed in late March of this year, while the Donetsk region plant was seized by Russian forces in 2022. With the destruction of Trypillya. Centrenegro’s entire energy generation capacity in Ukraine has now been obliterated.
The loss of the energy supply shouldn’t pose a problem for Ukraine during the summer months, but when next winter comes, Mr. Hota believes that the loss will create a “giant problem.”
Centrenegro, he said, could rebuild the plant, but not without protection and ongoing defense commitments from Ukrainian forces.
Local residents have been urged to charge all their devices, stockpile water, and shut their windows.
This strike marks the latest in a strategic program in Russia’s war aimed at crippling Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and depriving the Ukrainian government of the energy resources it needs to effectively coordinate command and control operations.
It was also one of a number of strikes across all of Ukraine in Thursday’s early hours. More than 80 drones and missiles were deployed by Russia against Ukrainian targets, and nearly a third of those made it past Ukraine’s defenses.
