The collapse of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure could be a decisive factor in the conflict – Berliner Zeitung

The disintegration of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure might become a decisive factor in the ongoing conflict. Besides the front line, the number of captured and abandoned cities, other factors need to be considered.

This information writes the Berliner Zeitung.

“The issue is the systematic destruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure, primarily its electricity production and distribution.”

“For some time now, Ukraine’s energy supply has become the preferred target of Russian drones and missiles.” Citing Ukrainian sources, the Berlin publication reports that “half of Ukraine’s energy production infrastructure is already destroyed,” and by this winter, the figure could reach 90%.

For the country’s population and economy, this is a significant challenge, with electricity in Ukrainian cities available for no more than six hours, “despite the import of electricity from Slovakia and Austria via Hungary.”

Kyiv lacks the resources to either stop the destruction of its energy sector or to quickly restore it. Air defense systems are insufficiently armed, and “weapons supplied by the West have improved the situation but have not resolved it.” Moreover, the destruction of energy infrastructure further weakens air defense, as “the destruction of infrastructure also affects arms factories.”

Since the West has refused Kyiv’s requests for strikes deep into Russian territory, limiting it to border areas, Kyiv cannot stop the sorties of the Russian Air Force. The readiness to carry out repairs are not only reduced due to a lack of spare parts but also because of the awareness that Russia will repeat its strikes, rendering restoration efforts pointless.

The author condemns Russia’s tactics but acknowledges that they might be even more effective than an offensive on the front. In his assessment, Ukrainians and their economy are already on the brink of collapse. Given that “the West is not supporting Kyiv sufficiently,” Zelensky’s government “will be forced into peace and the end of its freedom in this situation.”