Ukraine and Russia will not be able to destroy each other's energy systems completely, partially due to certain safeguards from the Soviet times, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) chief Kyrylo Budanov told the TSN news program on Aug. 3.
Russia carried out a massive campaign of aerial attacks against Ukraine's energy infrastructure over the spring, similar to the one launched during the fall and winter of 2022-23.
The damage caused a serious energy deficit and necessitated rolling blackouts across the country.
"All these (energy system) nodes are very strongly protected. Just as we are trying to protect them, similar measures are being taken in Russia," Budanov said in the interview.
Aiming at one of Russia's main sources of funds to finance its war, Ukraine has made a concerted effort to target the Russian oil industry with long-range drone strikes. Bloomberg reported in March that the strikes have disrupted between 12-14% of Russia's oil refining capacity.
Russia, a producer of air defense systems, is increasing its presence with "much greater" capabilities, according to the HUR chief.
Attacks on Russia's energy system can "make life difficult," but it is "almost impossible to destroy it," Budanov added.
Ukraine might face minimal power outages in the next three months if Russia does not carry out new attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, the advisor to the prime minister on energy issues, Yurii Boiko, said on national television on July 30.
Due to the heatwave in mid-July, the energy consumption in Ukraine hit maximum levels, leading to significant energy shortages in the system and causing necessary scheduled blackouts, sometimes lasting up to 20 hours.
Sonya Bandouil
