The missile strike on Kyiv on October 10 damaged critical infrastructure: part of the Left Bank of the capital remained without electricity for a long time, and Ukrenergo calls the consequences in Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and other regions the most severe, reports Telegraph, which spoke with experts about further risks and preparations for winter.
Experts warn that repeated massive strikes on the energy sector could transform the current emergency outages into stable outage schedules. Former Housing and Utilities Minister Oleksiy Kucherenko called the attack “powerful” and drew attention to the fact that street transformers remain unprotected; according to him, some of the shelters and protective structures should have been built earlier, but this did not happen. Oleh Popenko, the head of the Union of Consumers of Public Utilities, says that if the raids are repeated, “emergency outages will turn into permanent schedules.”
The issue of the heating season has now become even more sensitive: the start of heat supply will depend on the city, the state of the networks and temperatures. Experts warn that even the official switching on of heating does not guarantee immediate heat in all houses due to the wear and tear of utility networks - in Kyiv, according to estimates, hundreds of kilometers of pipes are in critical condition, and emergency repairs may delay the supply of heat to local areas.
The issue of responsibility is growing in public discussions: critics call underfunding and slow implementation of energy facility protection programs the main reasons for infrastructure vulnerability, while supporters of the measures emphasize the scale of the problems and emphasize the need to accelerate work. Some directly blame the previous leadership of the relevant agencies for the failure of protection programs and the investment of funds without visible results.
Energy experts remind that there are three levels of protection for facilities — from basic barriers and gabions to concrete arches and anti-missile "shelters" — but they are not implemented everywhere; centralized supply and slow logistics make it difficult to quickly strengthen each vulnerable facility. Because of this, in a number of places, even minimal protection measures were not installed at all.
In the same vein, increasing air defense is considered a priority. MP Serhiy Nagornyak emphasizes the need for helicopters and mobile groups as flexible means of combating massive drone attacks, and also calls for the involvement of experienced pilots. He warns against deploying air defense directly in densely populated areas, as shooting down drones near housing could pose an additional threat to civilians.
The bottom line is that the risks remain high: without accelerating work to protect critical infrastructure, accelerating deliveries of air defense systems, and adjusting the logistics of fortifications, Ukrainians could face an increase in the number and duration of outages this winter. At the same time, experts emphasize that the responsibility for preparation lies with both central authorities and local network owners, and that society should demand transparent reports on completed and unfinished measures.
