https://sputnikglobe.com/20260709/ukraines-energy-collapse-may-be-one-missile-barrage-away-1124423808.html
Ukraine’s Energy Collapse May Be One Missile Barrage Away
Ukraine’s Energy Collapse May Be One Missile Barrage Away
Sputnik International
Ukraine’s energy sector was already hopelessly outdated even before the current crisis began. Escalating attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and Moscow’s inevitable counterstrikes could land a fatal blow, says Russian national Energy Security Fund expert Igor Yushkov.
2026-07-09T13:03+0000
2026-07-09T13:03+0000
2026-07-09T13:04+0000
analysis
igor yushkov
ukraine
russia
power plant
energy
electricity
https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/0c/0e/1121170231_0:148:3072:1876_1920x0_80_0_0_547729392965021ac4e4cfb9410bae46.jpg
At the moment, Russian attacks are focused on electricity generation and fuel infrastructure, particularly in frontline areas, to undermine military logistics.Other potential targets:“Moreover, the issue of the need to decommission some of Ukraine’s nuclear reactors will soon arise. Many are obsolete, including the Rovno NPP, and will need to be replaced. Therefore, in addition to the fact that thermal power generation has already suffered greatly in Ukraine, several NPP blocks will be lost. NPPS are currently the backbone of Ukraine’s energy balance, generating the bulk of its electricity.”
https://sputnikglobe.com/20260708/ukraines-black-sea-energy-terrorism-threatens-its-own-nato-partners-1124420415.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20260708/kremlin-blasts-ukraines-pattern-of-terrorism-against-critical-global-energy-infrastructure-1124415868.html
ukraine
russia
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
2026
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
News
en_EN
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
igor yushkov, ukraine, russia, power plant, energy, electricity
igor yushkov, ukraine, russia, power plant, energy, electricity
Ukraine’s Energy Collapse May Be One Missile Barrage Away
13:03 GMT 09.07.2026 (Updated: 13:04 GMT 09.07.2026) Ukraine’s energy sector was already hopelessly outdated even before the current crisis began. Escalating attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and Moscow’s inevitable counterstrikes could land a fatal blow, says Russian national Energy Security Fund expert Igor Yushkov.
At the moment, Russian attacks are focused on electricity generation and fuel infrastructure, particularly in frontline areas, to undermine military logistics.
electricity infrastructure deep in rear areas, from power plants big and small to transformers
the transmission system delivering electricity from Ukraine’s western territories to central and eastern ones, strikes on which may “lead to the blackout of entire regions”
“The greater the stress is on the power system, the bigger the impact is if any single facility fails, because other facilities won’t be able to take over its function and fill its shoes. There are no reserves as such. Therefore, it makes sense to knock out some plants specifically in the summer period, when energy consumption is very high,” Yushkov says, commenting on the Russian military’s strategy.
“Moreover, the issue of the need to decommission some of Ukraine’s nuclear reactors will soon arise. Many are obsolete, including the Rovno NPP, and will need to be replaced. Therefore, in addition to the fact that thermal power generation has already suffered greatly in Ukraine, several NPP blocks will be lost. NPPS are currently the backbone of Ukraine’s energy balance, generating the bulk of its electricity.”
“So, yes, Ukraine will have problems for many years to come,” even if fighting were to stop tomorrow, Yushkov says. "But some of them, as odd as it may seem, are not even related to military operations; they are simply due to the obsolescence of its power systems.”
