(KYIV, UKRAINE) – The Chief Executive of DTEK, Maksym Timchenko, has warned that Ukraine is nearing a humanitarian catastrophe as a result of sustained Russian strikes against the national energy infrastructure. Mr Timchenko emphasised that any future peace negotiations must explicitly include a total cessation of attacks on energy assets. These remarks follow several months of intensive Russian missile and drone campaigns targeting critical utility networks across the country.
Mr Timchenko noted that Ukraine recently endured a two week period where temperatures plummeted to between minus 15 and minus 20 degrees Celsius. During this time, the Russian federation targeted gas transportation, storage, and production facilities. The Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, has overseen an intensified campaign of energy terror since October 2025, specifically designed to disable power plants and exhaust Ukrainian air defence resources.
The DTEK leader described a dire situation where civilians in apartment buildings have remained without heating for several weeks. He explained that many citizens currently receive only three to four hours of electricity per day, followed by outages lasting up to 15 hours. Currently, Ukraine relies heavily on gas imports, notably from the United States, to maintain basic services as coal, gas, and hydroelectric plants operate significantly below their intended capacity.
Financial losses for DTEK are estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars, with the company losing approximately 60 to 70 percent of its total production capacity. World Bank data suggests that the full restoration of the energy sector will require an investment of 65 billion US Dollars to 70 billion US Dollars (approximately 2.45 trillion Ukrainian Hryvnia to 2.64 trillion Ukrainian Hryvnia).
Mr Timchenko argued that the focus must shift from simple reconstruction to the establishment of a completely new energy system. This strategy involves accelerating the construction of decentralised generation facilities, such as solar projects and storage systems, which are less vulnerable to drone and missile strikes. He concluded that Ukraine cannot wait for a formal peace agreement to begin this transition and must instead prioritise the stockpiling of critical equipment and the strengthening of air defences immediately.
