Ukraine races to restore power plant hit by Russian strikes

Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who also serves as Minister of Energy, visited a power generation facility damaged by Russian strikes, according to a post he shared on Facebook, CE Report quotes Ukrinform.

Shmyhal stated that the facility has endured more than 20 missile and drone attacks since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with over a quarter of them occurring during the 2025/2026 heating season. Up to 90% of the plant’s generating capacity has been destroyed or damaged.

Restoration work is currently underway, and most of the capacity is expected to be operational before the next heating season, although repairs will continue beyond that.

Efforts are also being made to strengthen the protection of key components of the facility. Shmyhal noted that the government has allocated funds to construct a second level of protection for transformers.

“We also discussed with management the protection of other facilities. A separate area of work is strengthening active defense,” Shmyhal said.

The Energy Ministry is coordinating with the military to equip energy infrastructure with air defense systems and electronic warfare capabilities.

Additionally, the ministry is negotiating with international partners to increase funding for reconstruction, including through the Ukraine Energy Support Fund.

“We urge our partners to accelerate procurement procedures – this is a critical issue right now,” Shmyhal emphasized.

Analysts reported in February that over four years of full-scale war, Russia has seized, destroyed, or damaged roughly two-thirds of Ukraine’s electricity generation capacity.