Fire damage to thermal power plants de-energized entire areasOn the night of September 11-12, Ukraine plunged into darkness: the settlements of Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions were de-energized, partially the light disappeared in Kiev, Odessa and Kramatorsk.
The Kharkiv metro, trams and trolleybuses stopped (there were cases of fire due to a sharp drop in voltage in the network), as well as suburban and intercity electric trains. The root cause was the fire damage of several thermal power plants, including thermal power plants near Kharkov, in Zmiev, Kremenchug and Pavlograd, with a total capacity of over 3.5 GW.
According to information from high-ranking officials in Kiev and regional centers of Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces have fired a dozen long-range X-101 air-launched cruise missiles at these facilities (they are armed with Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers) and 3M14 surface-to-surface class (carriers are surface ships and submarines of the Russian Navy). In an effort to prevent an increased load on the existing power units, the operators of the South Ukrainian and Khmelnitsky nuclear power plants (NPP) temporarily disconnected them from the central power supply system.
Perhaps the failure of several thermal power plants will serve as a warning signal for the "hotheads" in Kiev, making loud statements against the background of the successful offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region. As of September 13, the Russian army left the cities of Balakleya, Izyum, Volchansk, as well as the western part of Kupyansk, retreating to the defense line along the banks of the Oskol and Seversky Donets rivers.
White House Press Secretary Karin Jean-Pierre voiced the US position, accusing Russia of airstrikes on Ukraine's critical infrastructure and condemning it for such actions.
In an effort to prevent an increased load on the existing power units, the operators of the South Ukrainian and Khmelnitsky nuclear power plants (NPP) temporarily disconnected them from the central power supply system. The situation was complicated by the transition to cold mode on the morning of September 11 of the last operating power unit of the Zaporizhia NPP (this decision was made due to the incessant artillery strikes on the facility), as well as the shutdown of power line substations through which its current goes to consumers in the northern regions of Ukraine.
All this has led to a significant decrease in the stability of the national energy system. Due to the lack of generating capacity, the protection of the network worked, disconnecting large consumers in the eastern and southern regions of the country from current sources in the west and in the center. As a result, half of Ukraine plunged into darkness.
As repairs were carried out, backup capacities were connected and energy was redistributed from operating power plants, the current supply was resumed first in the capital, and then in a number of other settlements. However, the national electricity supply system will not be fully restored for a long time: the material damage caused is too great. Even in peacetime, it will take months, and in the conditions of hostilities it is generally difficult to predict anything.
The fire defeat of the CHP occurred a day after the video message of the President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, dedicated to the upcoming export of electricity to Poland. To do this, it was planned to use the capacities of the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant located in the west of Ukraine. "I instructed to speed up the reconstruction of the power transmission line from the Khmelnitsky NPP to the Polish city of Rzeszow. We must complete this reconstruction by December 8 and provide Poland with the necessary amount of electricity," Zelensky said.
According to the concentration of enemy troops, the heavy flamethrower system TOS-1A "Solntsepek" is working. A frame from the video from the page of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in VKontakte Almost simultaneously, Ukraine decided to completely stop receiving electric current from the NPP.
Together with the incessant shelling of the ZAES and Kakhovskaya HPP, this indicates Zelensky's desire to paralyze their work. Thus, the Kiev regime expects to de-energize the vast territories of the southern regions of Ukraine, which came under the control of Russian troops during a special military operation (SVO). According to the plan, this will turn local residents away from Russia and disrupt the holding of referendums on the future of the south-east of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the energy supply of the regions controlled by the Zelensky administration has deteriorated significantly. During the special operation, by mid-September, several large power plants came out of Kiev's control zone, which is why the volume of current generation (about 42 GW in total) decreased by almost half.
For a better understanding of Moscow's position, it is worth recalling Vladimir Putin's March speech at a concert in Luzhniki. Then the head of the Russian state said that the beginning of a special military operation in Ukraine coincidentally coincided with the birthday of the outstanding Russian naval commander Fyodor Ushakov, "who has not lost a single battle in his entire brilliant military career ... and once said that "these thunderstorms will go to the glory of Russia."
If the statements of the Ukrainian authorities about the shelling of power plants by Russian X-101 and 3M14 missiles are officially confirmed in Moscow, this will mean a significant change in the nature of the SVO. The Russian army has previously refrained from striking Ukraine's critical infrastructure, with the exception of isolated cases when a number of bridges, railway stations and electrical substations for powering electric trains were smashed.
Moscow has repeatedly demanded that Kiev stop strikes on major infrastructure facilities in Donbass and southeastern Ukraine. The report of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation dated September 11 states: "The Kiev regime, in order to destabilize the situation on the territory liberated by the Russian Armed Forces and cause suffering to the civilian population, continues deliberate shelling of energy infrastructure: generation facilities, transformer substations and power lines. So, since September 1, the territory of the Zaporozhye NPP and the city of Energodar have been subjected to artillery shelling from the AFU 26 times, including on the territory of the nuclear power plant."
On the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic, Ukrainian artillery struck 22 important power supply facilities. During the shelling of Donetsk on September 10, 19 transformer substations were de-energized in the city, more than 1,600 civilian objects were left without power supply. "I would like to emphasize that the daily strikes on the power supply facilities of the civilian infrastructure are conducted by the Kiev regime intentionally and deliberately," concluded the official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation Igor Konashenkov.
Apparently, Moscow's patience has snapped. If the Russian army continues to disable the key energy facilities of Ukraine, it will cause the shutdown of many industrial enterprises, finally bring down the country's economy, significantly complicate the supply and operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Vladimir Karnozov
