The Power Stayed On: How Ukrainian Utility Workers Have Kept the Lights Running Through Bombardment

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Ukrainian energy sector has faced some of the most sustained and strategic assaults in the conflict. Russian missile and drone attacks have repeatedly targeted power plants, substations, transmission lines and civilian energy infrastructure with the clear intention of undermining civilian morale, sowing chaos and weakening Ukrainian resistance.

Despite the intensity of this campaign Ukraine has managed to keep the lights on in much of the country thanks to the resilience, ingenuity and sheer courage of her utility workers and energy managers. Here we explore how Ukrainian utility workers have adapted under fire, the innovations that sustained the national energy systems and the broader implications of their success for wartime resilience and national morale.

Calculated Target: Russia’s Energy War

From the early weeks of the invasion, Russia pursued an intentional strategy of infrastructure terror. Following the failure to seize Kyiv in the spring of 2022 the Kremlin shifted to a war of attrition, aiming to wear down Ukraine’s population and erode her economic capacity. Energy infrastructure became a prime target. Waves of missile and drone attacks, especially from late 2022 into the winter of 2023, aimed to plunge cities into darkness, disable heating during frigid months, and disrupt critical services.

The attacks were systematic. Thermal power plants such as those in Burshtyn, Trypilska and Kharkiv were repeatedly struck. High-voltage transmission lines and substations were targeted to create cascading failures. At the peak of the assault in December 2022, nearly half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure had sustained damage. Yet total blackout was averted.

Heroes in Hard Hats: The Utility Workers on the Front Line

The unsung heroes of Ukraine’s wartime endurance have been the workers of Ukrenergo (Ukraine’s electricity transmission system operator), regional energy distribution companies and state-owned and private energy producers. These technicians, engineers and maintenance staff—often working in flak jackets and under the threat of renewed bombardment—risk their lives to restore power, reroute transmission, and repair transformers in freezing conditions.

One of the most iconic images of the war has become that of power workers welding, climbing poles, or resetting circuits amidst rubble and snow. Often operating just hours after attacks, these crews rapidly restored basic services to cities including Kherson, Mykolaïv and Dnipro. In some instances teams have rebuilt entire substations within days or even hours. Their efforts have prevented humanitarian catastrophe in many regions.

Smart Grids and Swift Fixes: Technological Innovation and Redundancy

The Ukrainian energy system, once deeply interconnected with Russia’s, has had to pivot rapidly toward European standards. In an extraordinary feat, Ukraine synchronised her power grid with the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) in March 2022, a process that would normally take years.

This integration allowed Ukraine to import electricity when its own generation was disrupted. It also enabled better load management and stability. Meanwhile, Ukrainian engineers developed innovative “micro-islands” of power supply, using localised generation from hydroelectric, solar or smaller thermal sources to keep critical infrastructure running independently of the national grid.

Redundant electricity lines were established, in case principle lines were knocked out through aerial bombardment; mobile substations were deployed; battery storage began to be experimented with. Technicians made use of 3D printing, pre-positioned parts, and digital monitoring tools, to speed up response times.

Keeping the Heat On: Gas, District Heating, and Civilian Infrastructure

Beyond electricity, the heating sector also showed remarkable resilience. In major cities municipal utilities maintained district heating through fuel-switching (from gas to oil or biomass), backup boilers and aggressive repair schedules. In Kyiv for instance over 90% of the city’s heating systems were operational during the worst winter months of 2022–2023.

Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state gas provider, has played a pivotal role in ensuring the availability of gas for both residential and industrial use, despite threats to pipelines and storage facilities. Underground gas storage and diversification of imports—including via European interconnectors (gas pipelines directly to EU member states)—strengthened energy security.

Public Resilience and International Aid

Public patience and cooperation has proven essential. Rolling blackouts, carefully scheduled by Ukrenergo, have largely been respected by citizens, while households adapted by using generators, solar panels and backup power banks. Civil society groups have distributed heaters, blankets and fuel to the most vulnerable.

International support has also been and remains critical. The European Union, USAID and a variety of other international public / private development partners have delivered emergency energy equipment—including generators, transformers and high-voltage equipment—as part of a coordinated effort to protect Ukraine’s energy grid. Lithuania, Germany, and Poland have been especially proactive in supplying materials and expertise.

Beyond the War: Rebuilding a Green and Resilient Grid

Ukraine’s energy sector, despite suffering immense damage, now stands at the forefront of transformation. Wartime decentralisation and grid flexibility are catalysing a future more reliant on renewable energy sources, distributed generation and Western technology.

Post-war reconstruction is expected to prioritise renewable energy, energy storage and smart grid technologies. Regions like Zhytomyr and Dnipropetrovsk are already piloting solar microgrids for hospitals and schools. The war has paradoxically fast-tracked Ukraine’s green energy transition and may provide a model for post-conflict resilience elsewhere.

A Light That Cannot Be Extinguished

The story of how Ukraine has kept her power on is more than a tale of infrastructure—it is a story of defiance, national identity and human spirit. Engineers and technicians, often working within minutes of missile strikes, have ensured that hospitals stay open, children stay warm, and cities remain lit. They provide not just electricity, but hope.

In resisting the Kremlin’s attempts to plunge Ukraine into darkness, the country’s utility workers have become as much defenders of the nation as the soldiers on the front. Their efforts illuminate the strength of a society that refuses to yield—and a future that will continue to shine, long after the war ends.