Ukraine receives equipment from US to repair energy infrastructure

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided 10 autonomous welding machines to speed up the restoration of Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

USAID announced this on X (formerly Twitter), according to Rubryka.

The agency emphasized that these welding machines will play a crucial role in quickly repairing energy infrastructure damaged by Russian shelling.

"During Ukrainian winters, restoring power and heat quickly is lifesaving work.", USAID message stated.

What is known about the shelling of energy infrastructure?

On November 28, Russian forces launched another massive strike on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. The impact of the strikes was worsened by the use of "Kalibr" missiles armed with cluster munitions. By the morning of November 29, Kherson, the Kherson district, and parts of the Mykolaiv region were still without electricity.

Since the start of the full-scale war, Russian troops have used nearly 1,300 missiles and about 1,000 strike drones against Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

On December 13, during a large-scale enemy attack, Ukraine's Air Defense Forces successfully shot down more than 160 drones and missiles out of nearly 300 launched by Russian forces, with F-16 fighter jets playing a key role.

The attacks impacted Kyiv, Odesa, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, and Ternopil regions. Ukrainian energy operator DTEK reported significant damage to thermal power plants (TPPs) and the implementation of widespread power outages across the country.

According to the IAEA, five of the nine nuclear reactors in Ukrainian-controlled territory were forced to reduce capacity due to Russian strikes. By December 13, three reactors had returned to normal operation.

The ISW has reported that Russia's large-scale attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure are part of a broader strategy to create an energy crisis during the winter of 2024–2025. The goal is to pressure Ukraine and its Western allies into making political concessions favorable to the Kremlin.