Kharchenko: Russia will strike substations this winter to cut power to Kyiv

The director of the Energy Research Center, Alexander Kharchenko, has stated that Russia will concentrate its winter strikes on high-voltage substations and distribution nodes with the aim of cutting power to Kyiv.

He said this during a broadcast.

According to Kharchenko’s assessment, Kyiv and Odesa are currently particularly vulnerable due to a shortage of their own generation capacity and dependence on external electricity supplies. At peak loads, Kyiv can consume up to 15% of the country’s total electricity.

“That is why one of the strategic long-term objectives is the construction and restoration of generation capacity in Kyiv, so that the city can supply itself. And in the same way, going forward, we need to work on Odesa,” — Kharchenko said.

Previously, the same expert warned that in the worst-case scenario, power outages in Kyiv could reach 18 hours per day.

Energy expert Stanislav Ignatyev, for his part, stated that Kyiv and the capital region’s own electricity generation has already been completely destroyed as a result of the strikes.