'We've got to run': Inside ruined Ukraine power plant under constant drone threat

What the report says

BBC World News reports from a damaged Ukrainian power station that has been left badly wrecked after a Russian ballistic missile strike. The piece, filed by Ukraine correspondent Dan Johnson, shows one of the country’s largest energy facilities trying to function amid repeated air-raid threats and difficult repair efforts.

The report comes as Ukraine faces rolling planned blackouts because Russian strikes on the power grid have intensified. At the same time, Ukraine has been hitting Russian oil refineries in response. The BBC says officials are worried that life could become increasingly difficult for millions of people if electricity supplies cannot be kept up for at least four hours a day.

According to the article, some private warnings suggest conditions may already be close to that point, with families in Kyiv experiencing outages that can last most of the day. The dispatch uses the ruined plant as an example of how the wider war is affecting everyday life and the country’s energy system.

More generally, attacks on energy infrastructure have been a recurring feature of the war in Ukraine, with both sides targeting economic and strategic assets. The BBC’s report highlights how continued strikes and repair constraints are shaping the coming winter and the broader prospects for civilian resilience.