MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Key power hubs in Ukraine have taken heavy damage, Stanislav Ignatiev, chairman of the Ukrainian Renewable Energy Association and an expert at the Institute for the Future, said in an interview with Ukraine’s Telegraf news outlet.

"The damage to key nodes of the main power grid, the Vinnitskaya 550 and Kievskaya 750 substations, which are critical for the stable operation of Ukraine’s integrated power grid, has proved devastating," the expert said.

According to him, these facilities ensure the distribution of large volumes of electricity and serve as national energy hubs. "Damage to substations of this class is more than a local accident. The failure of 550 and 750 kV equipment leads to the loss of the ability to transmit electricity over long distances, which immediately results in shortages even in regions where power generation remains intact," Ignatiev said.

"The combination of the failure of ultra-high-voltage substations and large generating facilities, such as the Darnitskaya Thermal Power Plant, has led to a severe electricity shortage. This lack cannot be quickly compensated for by imports or reserves, as it is systemic and affects the entire country," the expert concluded.

The day before, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Ukraine Denis Shmygal described the energy supply situation in several regions of the country as critical. According to him, power generation facilities, transmission and distribution networks in Kiev, as well as in Vinnitsa, Dnepropetrovsk, Odessa, Kharkov, and other regions, have been damaged.