More 100 critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine to be protected before year-end – Ministry of Development
An additional 100 critical infrastructure facilities will be provided with protective measures before the end of this year, Deputy Prime Minister for Recovery and Minister for Communities and Territories Development Oleksiy Kuleba said.
"Protecting the energy sector is ongoing, cross-sectoral and a joint effort involving various agencies, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development, regional military administrations, energy and gas companies, and the military. Over the past two weeks the Recovery Agency has been performing a coordinating function among all those responsible for protection. Together we have identified a list of priority facilities requiring additional physical protection, 100 facilities that will receive extra protection by year-end," he said at a press briefing.
The minister said that responsibility for the physical protection of a facility lies with its owner or balance-holder. As for the projects whose additional protection the Recovery Agency is coordinating this year, they were selected according to priorities set by the regional military administrations and the balance-holders together with the Ministry of Energy.
Head of the State Agency for Recovery and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine Serhiy Sukhomlyn said work has already been carried out with military and civilian engineers involved in the topic to develop physical protection options. Under the developed options, proposals from local manufacturers were analyzed, as well as the available volume and prices of materials that can be used to build protections. An agreement has also been reached to freeze material prices.
"Balance-holders of facilities can choose protection options, adapt them (depending on the region and locality specifics) and construct the defenses. The Recovery Agency is working on operational supplies of materials, including with international partners, so components arrive faster," Sukhomlyn said.
As reported, under an experimental project launched in 2023, the Recovery Agency has been responsible for protecting 22 Ukrenergo facilities in 14 regions. In total this includes 46 protection elements, of which 38 are 100% complete and the remaining eight will be finished by year-end. Their average readiness is about 90%.
"The enemy constantly refines its technologies. For example, in recent months Russia has hit the same point with Shahed drones 15–20 times. Today Shahed drones carry up to 90 kg of warhead, whereas two years ago the warhead was half that. Drones also strike targets guided by an operator; in flight they perform a complex set of maneuvers. But Ukraine is also improving its defenses and technologies. This applies to both the military and civilian sectors," Kuleba concluded.