{"id":81580,"date":"2026-02-20T13:03:42","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T12:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/?p=81580"},"modified":"2026-02-20T20:43:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T19:43:44","slug":"russia-ukraine-war-invasion-energy-grid-attacks-russias-crimes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/story\/81580\/russia-ukraine-war-invasion-energy-grid-attacks-russias-crimes\/","title":{"rendered":"Another year of war in Ukraine: Energy grid attacks among Russia\u2019s escalating crimes\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On 24 February 2026, the world marks the fourth anniversary of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine<\/a>. While global headlines are filled with news about negotiations and attempts to inspire hope for peace, the Greenpeace Ukraine office is experiencing Russia\u2019s so-called \u201cpeaceful intentions\u201d firsthand. For several months now, staff members have had only a few hours of electricity and heating per day, often without hot water, without the ability to use elevators, or to cook meals for themselves and their children.<\/p>\n\n

\"Peace
Greenpeace activists from Poland painted the slogan “PEACE NOT OIL” on the side of the Andromeda – tanker transporting oil from Russia to Poland (March 2022).
\u00a9 Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

From day one, Russia\u2019s colonial war has been aimed at destroying Ukraine\u2019s existence as an independent and sovereign state with its own culture and language, deliberately targeting  civilians, homes, cities, and critical infrastructure. Today, in the 12th year of Russia\u2019s war and the fourth year of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine is facing the deepest energy crisis in its history \u2013 a crisis deliberately and systematically created by Russian attacks.<\/p>\n\n

Energy grid strikes are no accident<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Since the start of 2026 alone, 217 attacks on Ukraine\u2019s energy infrastructure<\/a> have been reported. In January Russia fired more than 6,000 attack drones<\/a>, around 5,500 guided aerial bombs, and 158 missiles of various types at infrastructure. Thermal power plants, substations, and district heating facilities are repeatedly targeted by Russian missiles and drones<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

\"Graphic
\u00a9 Greenpeace Ukraine<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

These strikes are not accidental \u2013 they are part of a deliberate strategy of energy collapse. The goal is simple: to leave people without light, heat, and water, to turn winter into another front of the war, and to force Ukraine to surrender.<\/p>\n\n

While repairs continue, frequent power disruptions leave many families in freezing conditions<\/a> in the coldest winter in more than a decade<\/a>. In many Ukrainian cities with district heating systems, electricity is supplied for only a few hours a day, often at night. Businesses, hospitals, schools, and public spaces are forced to operate at the edge of their capacity or shut down altogether, as diesel generators cannot sustain 12\u201315 hours of continuous operation. At the same time, air raid sirens, drones, and missiles have become the background of everyday life for millions of people.<\/p>\n\n

\"Demand
Ukrainian and Greenpeace activists symbolically set up a wind turbine in front of the German Bundestag in Berlin. A banner is displayed that reads in Ukrainian and English: Free Ukraine Needs Green Energy.
\u00a9 Paul Lovis Wagner \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

We need a decentralised and renewable energy system<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

It is precisely in this darkness that Ukraine has gained a very clear understanding: a centralised energy system based on nuclear generation, Russian gas, and fossil fuels is highly vulnerable to war. By contrast, decentralised renewable energy solutions with energy storage save lives.<\/p>\n\n

During Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine it became clear that green technologies are no longer just about climate, environmental protection, or cost savings. In Ukraine, they have become a matter of survival, security, and resilience. Decentralised solar panels, heat pumps, batteries, and autonomous power systems have proven their effectiveness in the most extreme conditions. They work when the centralised grid is destroyed. They are harder to eliminate with a single strike and much faster to install or replace. They provide heat, light, and water where it may seem that nothing is left.<\/p>\n\n

\"Green
Greenpeace Ukraine and other Ukrainian NGOs initiated the installation of a heat pump and solar power plant for the Horenka hospital which was damaged by Russian attacks near Kyiv to increase the building\u2019s energy independence, the community\u2019s resilience and reduce the country\u2019s CO2 emissions.
\u00a9 Oleksandr Popenko \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Patients in hospitals and outpatient clinics<\/a> can receive vaccinations and medical care on time. Children in schools and kindergartens have alternative power for learning and for staying in shelters \u2013 they can wait out danger in warmth and light. Residents of multi-apartment buildings have reliable heat from the energy of the earth. Green solutions are already working today, offering support and hope in extremely difficult times.<\/p>\n\n

Green energy solutions are generating hope<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

That is why Greenpeace CEE continues to work in Ukraine<\/a> during the war. We remain here because this work is critically important right now. Since 2022<\/a>, our international team, together with local communities, partners, and donors, has been implementing renewable energy projects \u2013 from solar systems for medical facilities to comprehensive solutions for communities.<\/p>\n\n

\"Greenpeace
Greenpeace Ukraine team holding a banner that translates to \u2018Green reconstruction for Ukraine\u2019 on the bridge to Trukhaniv Island in central Kyiv to mark the opening of Greenpeace Ukraine in September 2022.
\u00a9 Uliana Basova \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

One of the most striking examples is the green reconstruction of a multi-apartment building in Trostyanets \u2013 a city near the Russian border that suffered occupation and destruction. Today, this building is the first multi-apartment residential building in Ukraine where both space heating and hot water supply are provided exclusively by heat pumps. For us, this is not just a restored building. It is a practical model of Ukraine\u2019s future energy system \u2013 decentralised, resilient, and secure. <\/p>\n\n

Towards energy security and peace<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Ukraine\u2019s experience clearly demonstrates that renewable energy is not something for \u201cafter the war\u201d or \u201cwhen things get better.\u201d It is a solution that must be implemented during war if we want to protect people and reduce society\u2019s vulnerability to violence and authoritarianism. Every solar panel, every heat pump, every battery energy storage system is a step towards energy security<\/a>, independence, and peace.<\/p>\n\n

\"Activist
Activist at the ferris wheel in the abandoned town of Pripyat, near the Chornobyl Nuclear Plant, Ukraine.
\u00a9 Shaun Burnie \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

We believe that Ukraine\u2019s future is green, just, and safe. That is why we stay here, work here, and will continue to do so \u2013 together with people who prove every day that even in the darkest times, it is possible to build light.<\/p>\n\n

At the same time, we call on the entire world:<\/p>\n\n