NEWS FROM UKRAINE: ENERGY CRISIS ESCALATES
Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been a primary target of russian aggression since the very start of the war. Relentless missile and drone attacks have caused significant damage to thermal, hydro, and nuclear energy sources and substations. Heating and natural gas infrastructure has also been targeted, with 18 large combined heat and power plants and more than 800 boiler houses damaged or destroyed since the start of the war. Ukraine is currently left with an estimated one-third of its pre-war energy capacity.
Many international human rights organizations have publicly condemned these attacks as war crimes under Article 147 of the Geneva Convention, which prohibits both “willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health” as well as “extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.”
But where most of civilized society sees an unspeakable war crime, russia sees an opportunity. Attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure have been intensifying since the spring of 2024. Over the summer of 2024, Ukraine’s generation capacity fell 2.3 gigawatts below its peak demand of 12 gigawatts, causing rolling blackouts throughout the country and leaving millions without power.
The purpose of these attacks is not to secure a particular military advantage, but rather to demoralize the Ukrainian people and dissolve their will to fight. In the words of russian politician Boris Chernyshov, Ukrainian civilians should “rot and freeze” for resisting the russian invasion.
The humanitarian implications of these attacks cannot be understated. Families are left without heat in sub-freezing temperatures. Surgeons are forced to operate on children using nothing but the light of their headlamps. Basic essential services, from water distribution to health and emergency services, are put in jeopardy.
And this upcoming winter may bring new woes to the Ukrainian people. The International Energy Agency warns that while Ukraine was spared catastrophic losses to its heat supply during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 winters when the attacks were more limited and the winters were more mild, the risk for the upcoming 2024-25 winter is significantly higher. Temperatures can routinely drop below -10 °C between December and March, which will pose “a serious humanitarian risk if heating is not available.”
With the help of our supporters, Sunflower Seeds Ukraine has delivered more than 150 solar panel chargers to Ukrainian Defenders and civilians facing energy scarcity. As the victims of russian war crimes struggle to keep their family warm this winter, we want to thank you for your continued support in providing what reprieve we can to the Ukrainians fighting for their homeland.
Sources: IEA.org; Amnesty.org; ICRC.org; Public International Law & Policy Group; X.com; Newsweek; Ukraine.un.org; UN.org
