Ukraine war: Expert believes evacuation of Kyiv is possible

Power outages and attacks against power plants in Kyiv: Energy experts are preparing citizens for the worst.

Russia is once again attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure before the start of winter. The consequences could be particularly severe this year, warns Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Ukrainian Center for Energy Research and Policy.

Every day there are new reports of power plants shutting down after being shelled. On Saturday, the Ukrainian energy company Zentroenergo reported that it could no longer produce electricity due to heavy Russian airstrikes. The plants in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions, which had been operating after earlier attacks, are no longer functional. "Our production is now at zero," the company stated. Zentroenergo had most recently been producing around eight percent of Ukraine 's electricity.

The capital city of Kyiv is repeatedly targeted by Russian drone and missile attacks. Many of these attacks target power plants that supply the capital with electricity and heat. To conserve electricity, there are again power outages today, Sunday, as reported by the Ukrainian news site Telegraf. The power supply in the region will be cut off three times, often for several hours.

Kharchenko paints a bleak picture if the attacks continue. "If the city's power plants, which produce electricity and heat, have to be shut down and temperatures drop to -10 degrees Celsius within three days, then there is no chance of recovery," he said. In that scenario, citizens would have to be urged to drain the water from their homes to prevent the pipes from freezing and bursting. "Kyiv should announce an evacuation order to address this honestly. This is a catastrophe," Kharchenko said.

The expert emphasized that he currently sees no serious problems with the supply of gas for heating to the regions of Ukraine, as sufficient quantities of gas have been pumped and more are being pumped. At the same time, he believes one of the central problems is damage to heating and electricity supply facilities. "The problem of attacks on heating supply facilities is much greater. There are real risks here. They are objectively real. There have already been attacks on heating supply facilities, and there will be more," the energy expert said in an interview with Telegraf.