Ukraine war: Russian airstrike leaves 100,000 people without electricity

As a result of a Russian attack on a power plant in Ukraine, 100,000 people in the northwestern region of Sumy are without electricity.

Work to restore power supply is underway, national grid operator Ukrenergo said following strikes that led to emergency shutdowns for consumers in the city and region of Sumy on the border with Russia.

Aside from the power plant, there were no reports of casualties or damage, Reuters reported.

Russia continues to attack energy facilities in Ukraine, often plunging the country into long-lasting power outages while people face scorching summer conditions without running water, air conditioning or life-saving medical equipment.

In the past three months alone, Ukraine has lost nine gigawatts of electricity generation capacity, according to the national energy company Ukrenergo. All thermal power plants were lost due to enemy action and all hydroelectric plants were damaged by drone and missile attacks.

This is enough to supply the entire Netherlands with electricity during peak consumption times, according to the national grid operator, and is more than a third of the capacity Ukraine had before the start of the large-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.

To cope with the consequences of the Russian strikes, Poland is diverting surplus electricity to Ukraine. However, Ukrenego has planned all-day power cuts for the entire country, as domestic power generation and electricity imports cannot cover the deficit.

Maria Tsaturian of Ukrenergo told the BBC she was aware that her company was facing a lot of anger for cutting off power so often, for so long and to so many customers. But, she said, there was no other option.

“We are at war. The energy sector is one of the targets of Russian terrorists. And the reason for this is obvious: our entire life, our entire civilization is based on electricity,” she says.

“This is the price we pay for freedom.”

Meanwhile, Ukrainian air defenses shot down 24 of 27 Shahed kamikaze drones launched by Russia on the night of July 5-6, the Ukrainian Air Force command reported on Telegram.

The drones were intercepted over the Sumy region, among other places, through the use of electronic jammers and air defense systems, it was said.