Russian forces launched a persistent artillery barrage against the Kherson Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant, marking the fourth targeted attack on the facility since the beginning of February.
At least five separate hits were recorded over the past 24 hours at the site, which is managed by the state-owned energy company Naftogaz Group.
“The enemy has been launching artillery strikes on the territory of the Kherson CHP throughout the day,” the press release quoted Naftogaz CEO Sergiy Koretskyi on Friday.
He wrote on Facebook that the company is coordinating its actions with local authorities and working through all possible options for ensuring heat supply.
The skies above Kherson remain the most saturated with Russian First Person View (FPV) drones due to the proximity to a Russian troop presence along the left bank of the Dnipro River.
Positioned just two to three kilometers (1.2 to 1.9 miles) from the city, Russian units use this vantage point to conduct near-constant reconnaissance and precision strikes on critical infrastructure, making repair efforts for Naftogaz teams exceptionally hazardous.
The escalation in Kherson aligns with a broader Russian strategy to dismantle Ukraine’s energy security. President Volodymyr Zelensky recently warned that Moscow is now attempting to damage the nation’s nuclear power plants, noting that Kyiv has gathered intelligence on specific facilities where Russia has been conducting reconnaissance.
To help Naftogaz endure through 2025-2026 winter season while domestic gas production is heavily damaged, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has allocated over €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) to Ukraine’s energy security this year. The largest portion was provided as an emergency loan to Naftogaz to mitigate damage to gas production, which has been reduced by more than half due to ongoing hostilities.