Russia is implementing plan to destroy Ukraine’s power grid in order to render major cities uninhabitable, – Guardian
Russia is implementing a planned strategy to destroy Ukraine’s critical infrastructure in order to worsen living conditions in major cities and force people to leave them.
This is reported byThe Guardian, according to Censor.NET.
What the intercepted Russian document contains
According to The Guardian, Ukrainian intelligence intercepted a document in September entitled ‘Analysis of Ukraine’s energy, housing and utilities sectors’, which details the potential targets of Russia’s campaign to destroy Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Several European officials familiar with the document stated that it was likely prepared by analytical units linked to the Russian military or intelligence services. According to them, copies of the document had been circulating in Ukraine in previous years as well.
The intercepted document outlines a plan for the destruction of the Ukrainian power grid — ranging from the disabling of thermal power stations and substations to possible strikes on distribution substations at nuclear power stations.
The main objectives of the Kremlin’s strategy are to worsen living conditions through power cuts, completely halt the water supply, deteriorate sanitary conditions and trigger a mass exodus of residents from major cities. The document provides precise calculations for the ballistic and hypersonic missiles and drones required to strike each individual target.
According to Ukraine’s Minister of Energy, Denys Shmyhal, the enemy’s analytical materials have been compiled with a high degree of precision:
"These are two extensive documents, written in a very clinical and precise manner, with tables specifying the quantity of weapons required to destroy each facility — ranging from ballistic missiles to jet-powered and conventional drones. We understand how they intend to proceed," he said.
Strikes on the "Kyiv Energy Ring"
The Guardian notes that the latest Russian strikes on Kyiv’s energy infrastructure align with the strategy outlined in the documents.
In particular, this week, Russian attacks targeted CHPP-4, CHPP-5, the Trypilska Thermal Power Station and a major substation through which electricity from nuclear power stations is supplied to the capital.
All these facilities, as well as other substations that form part of the ‘Kyiv power ring’ and help to deliver electricity from across the country to the capital, have been targeted by Russian strikes. This poses a direct threat of a humanitarian crisis for the capital’s nearly three million residents.
Winter forecast: 8 to 20 hours without power per day
The document predicts that large-scale destruction of the energy infrastructure could deprive Kyiv of over 90 per cent of the electricity the city needs in winter.
Analysts predict that, assuming a mild winter and the rapid restoration of damaged facilities, power cuts in Kyiv could last up to 8 hours a day. In the event of severe frosts and repeated large-scale attacks, however, they could last up to 20 hours.
