Kherson risks being left without heat this winter as Russian strikes cripple power facilities
Photo: The aftermath of the Russian strike on the Kherson thermal power plant (NaftogazUA)
In winter, Kherson may be left without heating, as generating capacity is in extremely poor condition, while constant attacks make repairs impossible, says Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, deputy head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, in an interview with Novyny.Live.
"Over the past week, the number of drones has decreased by approximately 30 percent. I don't know what this is related to. Perhaps it is because of delays in logistics deliveries. Perhaps it is because of changes in the rotation of some units that are specifically engaged in attacking residents with these drones," he said.
Tolokonnikov added that as of now, approximately 500 FPV drones hit the Kherson region every day, although just a week or two ago their number reached 1,000.
"The point is that we can and must prepare, but when something hits there every day, it keeps setting us back. The system itself, the heating supply system, is ready. But the generating facilities, unfortunately, are now in critical condition after attacks by Russian drones," the deputy head of the regional administration emphasized.
According to him, if enemy attacks on electrical, energy, and heat-generating infrastructure stopped now, it would be possible to forecast restoration and a launch within a month.
"Of course, we are constantly saying now that this winter may be without heat, because the Russians also attacked us last winter, but through the heroic efforts of heating and energy workers, we were still able to provide people with heat, although there were days when up to 100 shells hit the thermal power plant," Tolokonnikov said.
He noted that the question is how the enemy will behave this year.
Russian troops struck the Kherson thermal power plant recently. Since then, the head of the regional military administration, Oleksandr Prokudin, has been urging local residents to evacuate and warning that the winter will be difficult.
Prokudin reported that the number of attacks on Kherson has increased 2.5-fold compared with the beginning of the year. According to him, only about 20% of the city's pre-war population now remains.
