Russian Halts DTEK Thermal Power Plant

Russia launched a massive strike on one of DTEK’s thermal power plants on Tuesday, Aug. 18, forcing the station to stop generating electricity altogether. DTEK reported the attack on its Telegram channel, saying the strike caused significant damage to the plant’s equipment, without specifying which plant was hit or providing further details on the scale of damage.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Since the start of the full-scale invasion, DTEK’s thermal power plants have been attacked by the enemy more than 230 times,” the company said. Winter preparations continue amid escalating strikes On Aug. 10, recently appointed Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi chaired a meeting of the Energy Headquarters, reviewing winter preparations as Russia continues to intensify its strikes on critical energy infrastructure. The meeting also included heads of DTEK, Naftogaz, Ukrenergo, Energoatom, Ukrhydroenergo, Centrenergo, and the Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine. “We reviewed forecasted balances of electricity and gas, based on various scenarios for getting through the winter,” Koretskyi said, adding that “it is important that energy companies work proactively and take on additional responsibility.” Ukraine is increasingly preparing its air defense, residents, and critical infrastructure for the upcoming winter as Russia is widely expected to target water infrastructure, alongside the usual targets of its winter campaign – Ukraine’s power grid – including heating and electricity. Other Topics of Interest Germany Opens Drone Defense Research Center After Leipzig Airport Incident New Cochstedt facility will test technology to counter hostile drones as Berlin warns that Russia could escalate hybrid threats. Separately, Kyiv authorities are compiling lists of residents who may need temporary relocation if Russian strikes cause prolonged heating outages this winter. The winter preparations come as Ukraine faces critical shortages of the Patriot interceptors, the only weapons capable of deterring Russian ballistic missiles. On Tuesday, a Russian jet-powered drone reached western Ukraine for the first time, covering a distance of roughly 528 to 572 miles, with its transit route calculated in advance to avoid the main deployment areas of Ukraine’s anti-aircraft missile systems. Until now, jet-powered drones had a typical operational range of up to 310 miles. Tuesday’s flight nearly doubled that distance, suggesting Russia has modified its drone models to extend their range. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.