DTEK CEO says Ukraine on the verge of humanitarian disaster

Ukraine is close to a "humanitarian catastrophe" after months of Russian airstrikes on energy infrastructure. Any upcoming peace agreement must include an end to attacks on power plants and gas facilities, DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko told Reuters.

Timchenko said Russia has been waging a campaign of "energy terror" since October 2025, hitting power plants and overloading air defence systems. Kiev and surrounding regions have been hit hardest - the capital's mayor has even urged residents to leave temporarily if possible.

We need an energy truce. How can you talk about peace and at the same time attack people, knowing that they are freezing? - timchenko stressed.

Ukraine has experienced two weeks of frosts down to -20°C, and the Russian strikes have affected gas transport, storage and production. People get electricity for only 3-4 hours a day, followed by 10-15 hours of blackouts. Many high-rise buildings remain without heat for weeks.

The publication points out that the country is kept afloat by importing gas, including from the US, as the attacks force gas, coal and hydroelectric plants to operate below capacity. DTEK has lost 60-70 per cent of its generating capacity and suffered hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.

Timchenko himself estimated the restoration of the energy sector at $65-70bn.

Often it is more about building a new energy system than about reconstruction," he said.

He also stressed the importance of developing decentralised generation - new solar projects, "green" energy parks and storage systems, which are harder to hit with drone and missile strikes.

We cannot hope that a peace agreement will be signed. We need to prepare today," Timchenko added, calling for the stockpiling of critical equipment and strengthening air defence.