Ukraine Lost 90% Of Wind, 50% Of Solar Energy Capacity In Hostilities - Energy Minister

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2022) Ukraine has lost 90% of wind and up to 50% of solar energy in the course of hostilities, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said on Sunday.

"We have already lost about 90% of the wind and up to 40-50% of the solar (energy). These are huge losses," Halushchenko said in an interview on Ukrainian television.

Ukraine made a leap in green energy in 2019 and increased its share to 10-11% in 2020, with a view to achieving 25% by 2030, the minister said.

Energy facilities in Kiev and other parts of Ukraine were damaged by Russian strikes continuing since October 10 in retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure. Authorities in Kiev urged people to reduce the use of electricity and had to resort to rolling blackouts.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Russia's Security Council on October 10 that Russia had launched retaliatory strikes using precision-guided weapons against Ukrainian infrastructure supporting the military, including energy and connectivity facilities, in response to the crimes committed by Kiev against the Russian civilian infrastructure.

Putin specifically condemned the October 8 bombing of the Kerch Strait Bridge, also known as the Crimean Bridge, among other Russian infrastructure targeted by Ukraine. He described them as acts of terrorism that cannot be left without response.