Russian attacks on Ukraine energy system caused $1 billion in damages – minister

KYIV (Reuters) – Recent Russian massive drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian energy system have caused more than $1 billion worth of damage to the sector, Ukraine’s energy minister German Galushchenko said on Sunday.

Since March 22, the Russian forces have been attacking Ukrainian thermal and hydropower stations as well as main networks on an almost daily basis, leading to blackouts in many regions.

“Today, we are talking about the amounts of losses for more than a billion dollars. But the attacks continue, and it is obvious that the losses will grow,” Galushchenko said in a statement.

Galushchenko said the main damage was to thermal and hydro generation facilities, as well as power transmission systems.

“The system is stable for today, but the situation is quite complicated,” he said, adding that thanks to favourable weather conditions, the energy system is currently being supported by wind and solar power generation.