| | | <Dark, Freezing Ukraine Heading for ‘Catastrophe’, According to Chief Energy Executive, as Relentless Russian Strikes Threaten To Disconnect Nuclear Power Plants From the Grid
by Paul Serran
Jan. 25, 2026 10:15 am
Hundreds of thousands have been fleeing Kiev’s lack of power and heat
Kiev urgently needs an ‘energy cease-fire’ to prevent complete collapse of power generation and transmission.
It’s been a gruesome winter in the Northern Hemisphere, from the US east coast, across Europe and all the way to far-East Vladivostok.
In war-torn Ukraine, the severe weather conditions have been worsened by crippling power and heat shortages due to the systematic destruction of power plants and energy transmission stations by Russian drone and missile strikes.
It’s come to a point where the Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) are the only thing keeping the country from a complete energy collapse.
Needless to say, the Russians can’t strike the NPPs without unleashing a radioactive nightmare – but what they can do, and perhaps have started doing, is to disconnect the power plants from the main electrical grid.
A very informative article by Simplicius on Substack shows reports that overnight Russian strikes – with hypersonic Zirkon, Iskander, and other missiles – allegedly hit the major 750 kV substation linking the Rivne NPP to Kiev.
Kiev is freezing. The head of Ukraine’s largest private power producer came to public to warn that Ukraine is nearing a ‘humanitarian catastrophe’, and that any future peace deal ‘must include a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure’.
Reuters reported:
“Maxim Timchenko, CEO of DTEK, said Russia – which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost four years ago – had been waging an ‘energy terror’ campaign since October 2025, hitting power stations and overwhelming air-defense systems.
‘We need an energy ceasefire. A ceasefire on the energy assets’, Timchenko said. ‘How can you talk about peace and (keep) attacking people, and knowing that people are freezing? How can these things go in parallel?’”
Check out the reaction to the return of power to a Kiev neighborhood:
The last two weeks brought temperatures between 5ºF to -4ºF, while Russian forces continue to deplete Ukrainian capabilities.
“’We are close to a humanitarian catastrophe’, Timchenko said. ‘People get power for 3-4 hours, then a 10- to 15-hour break. We have apartment blocks without heat for weeks already’.
He said Ukraine was holding on thanks to gas imports, including from the United States, as attacks had forced gas, coal and hydropower plants to run below capacity. DTEK has lost 60–70% of its generating capacity and suffered damage worth hundreds of millions of dollars, he said.”>
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/01/dark-freezing-ukraine-heading-catastrophe-according-chief-energy/
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