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Ukraine loses more than half of energy capacity — Russian defense chief

According to Andrey Belousov, this directly affected Ukraine’s resistance capability

MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. Ukraine has lost more than half of its energy capacity, with 70% of thermal power plants and more than 37% of hydropower plants knocked out of operation, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said at the ministry’s annual board meeting.

"More than 70% of thermal power plants and over 37% of hydropower plants that were providing power to the Ukrainian army and the defense industry have been knocked out of operation. Ukraine has lost more than half of its energy capacity. This has also directly affected Ukraine’s resistance capability," he noted.

The Washington Post reported earlier, citing sources, that Ukraine’s energy grid was on the verge of collapse, threatening to completely disable transmission systems that moved electricity from west to east, which would split the country in two.

Recently, Ukraine has moved to daily rolling blackout schedules for the nation, leaving some people without power for 12 to 16 hours a day. Industrial enterprises are under constant power restrictions. According to Stanislav Ignatyev, head of the board of the Ukrainian Association of Renewable Energy, the blackouts could continue until early April.

Ukraine has repeatedly reported explosions at and damage to energy facilities. Before February 2022, the capacity of Ukraine's energy system stood at about 56 GW. According to data from early November 2025, the total capacity of the country's energy system may have dropped to 13.13 GW, while at least 15 GW is required in the winter, with the level rising to 18 GW during peak loads.

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Ukraine crisis Foreign policy

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