Fighting to keep the lights on: Ukraine shows resilience to frequent power grid attacks
For the first time in weeks, there should be no power cuts in Ukraine this Wednesday. The brief respite comes in spite of Russia's relentless strikes on the country's energy infrastructure. The attacks are aimed at ruining the economy and undermining Ukrainian morale. But the network is managing to stay afloat, at least partially. The cancellation of the blackouts scheduled for Wednesday is the result of milder temperatures and the work of the engineers who are working tirelessly – and despite all kinds of danger – to keep the country running. Our correspondent Gulliver Cragg reports.
Once a net exporter of electricity, Ukraine is now partially reliant on imports to keep the lights on at least some of the time. But the performance of its energy companies has, in a sense, been one of the success stories of the war. International energy experts agree: the fact that the mains power is still working at least half the time is a remarkable feat.