Current Energy Situation
Since October 2022, Russia has tried every winter to switch Ukraine off. Missiles and attack drones hit power plants, substations, gas production sites and heating plants, with the aim of leaving civilians in cold and darkness and wearing down the country’s will to resist. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for senior Russian military leaders over these strikes on Ukraine’s power infrastructure.
Last winter was the hardest yet. After months of near-daily strikes, Kyiv and other cities went through blackouts that lasted for days, and where the power failed, heating and running water often failed with it, in temperatures far below freezing.
This year the attacks started earlier. According to Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi, there has barely been a day since summer without a strike on the energy system. At the end of September, Russia launched its heaviest combined attack since the last heating season, aimed mainly at Kyiv, and the Institute for the Study of War called it the opening of Russia’s winter strike campaign. In a single week before the start of November, Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy counted 94 attacks on energy facilities. Days later, grid operator Ukrenergo reported one of the largest attacks on the power system of the entire war, with emergency outages in Kyiv and six regions. Rolling blackouts are back in many parts of the country, weeks before the real cold sets in.
How Power Decides at the Frontline
If the cities are struggling, frontline positions have it far worse. In much of the front zone the grid was destroyed long ago, and units produce every watt they use themselves. Drone crews recharge batteries after every flight, and Starlink terminals keep positions and command posts online day and night. On top of that come radios, thermal sights, laptops and monitors, all running around the clock. A unit without power loses its eyes in the sky and its link to command.
Two kinds of equipment do the job together. Generators produce the electricity, usually at a safer spot behind the positions. Power stations, large rechargeable batteries, store it and take it forward, where they run silently. That difference matters: a running generator is loud and gives off heat, and Russian drone operators hunt for both.
A Christmas Gift with Power
Since 2023, Ukraine celebrates Christmas on December 25, together with most of Europe and North America. For thousands of soldiers, it will be another night at a position, far from their families. If you are still looking for a meaningful gift, give power this year. A generator or a power station keeps the drones in the air and the dugout lit through the long winter nights. You can dedicate your donation to a friend or family member and let them know it went to Ukraine’s defenders.
Thank you for standing with Ukraine’s defenders through the fifth winter of this war. Heroyam Slava!
Our Fundraising Aims
Inverter generators deliver clean, stable current, which protects sensitive electronics such as laptops, Starlink terminals, radios and drone battery chargers. They are compact, adjust their engine speed to the load and use little fuel.
Diesel generators are the workhorses: they run on the same fuel as the army’s trucks, keep going for hours on a single tank and carry heavier loads, for example a command post or a charging point where a drone unit tops up dozens of batteries at once.
Power stations are big rechargeable batteries with built-in sockets. Units charge them at a generator further back and carry them forward into dugouts, where they power equipment silently and without exhaust fumes. Many of the energy packages we delivered this year combined generators with power stations.
Gifts and Giveaways
For your donation, you can request the following gifts (please fill out the form via the "REQUEST YOUR PATCH/FLAG" button after your donation).
EU donors can transfer directly to our Dutch partner charity Stichting Eyes on Ukraine (ANBI-registered). Possible tax deduction of the donation depends on your local tax laws. Proceeds go directly to UAO equipment purchases.
Delivery Photos
