Ukrainians face grim winter amid massive attacks on power grid

Move to replace damaged plants with smaller, easily concealed units may come too late

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A summer house in the countryside east of Kyiv now offers Mr Heorhii Samofalov a safer and more stable life than his highrise apartment in the Ukrainian capital.

He does not need to use a lift and has access to an uninterrupted supply of water and other amenities.

"Power issues made it extremely challenging to reach the 13th floor," the 75-year-old retiree said.

"It's a problem even to make tea, as everything runs on electricity." In contrast, his place in the countryside about 80km from Kyiv has a stove for heating and gas for cooking.

Russia's massive attacks on Ukraine's power grid have forced many like him to consider their options as a grim winter without heating looms.

This week's air raids on Kyiv and other cities across the country were the largest since Russia's full-scale invasion began 22 years ago.

In June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky estimated that such attacks cost his country 80 per cent of its thermal power plant capacity and one-third of hydropower production, crucial for smooth electricity supplies.

Diesel generators are becoming a normal part of life; in 2024, prolonged blackouts, once a feature of lems, Dr Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Penta research institute in Kyiv, said in a phone interview.

Many citizens still believe that fall and winter, persisted through- power cuts persist due to corrupout the summation and ongoing electricity exports an allegation energy officials have repeatedly denied.