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As Russia Pounds Ukraine’s Grid, Germany Deploys 33 Mobile Power Plants for Millions

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Photo of Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
News Writer
An employee inspects the building of a power plant of Ukrainian energy provider DTEK, which was heavily damaged during air attacks, at an undisclosed location on January 23, 2026. (Source: Getty Images)
An employee inspects the building of a power plant of Ukrainian energy provider DTEK, which was heavily damaged during air attacks, at an undisclosed location on January 23, 2026. (Source: Getty Images)

Germany is set to deliver 33 mobile combined heat and power plants to Ukraine in the near future, a move expected to provide electricity and heating for millions of civilians, German Ambassador to Ukraine Heiko Thoms said in an interview with Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne on January 28.

Thoms described Russia’s nightly attacks on Ukrainian cities as deliberate acts of terror against civilians and said Berlin would continue expanding its support to Ukraine’s energy sector.

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“What is happening here every night is a war crime. It is done solely to terrorize the civilian population. You need support right now, and you will receive it,” Thoms said.

“I believe we are already the largest partner in the energy sector. We provide not only generators or energy storage systems, but in some cases even transport for energy repair work. Now we are also delivering 33 mobile power plants—combined heat and power units.”

According to the ambassador, a single mobile plant can supply electricity and heat to tens of thousands of people, making the total package capable of supporting entire regions affected by sustained strikes on energy infrastructure.

“So these 33 units can supply electricity to millions of people in Ukraine,” Thoms said. “The challenge is connecting them—just like with generators—but we will work together to do this as quickly as possible.”

Germany has emerged as one of Ukraine’s key partners in stabilizing its power grid amid Russia’s campaign of missile and drone attacks targeting civilian infrastructure.

Beyond emergency power equipment, Berlin has also supported repairs to damaged facilities and expanded air defense assistance to shield energy assets from further strikes.

Thoms added that Germany has already delivered nine IRIS-T air defense systems to Ukraine and expects additional systems to arrive in the near future, reinforcing efforts to protect both cities and critical infrastructure from ongoing Russian attacks.

After Russia’s January 20 attacks, which left more than 1 million people in Kyiv without power and over 4,000 apartment buildings without heat.

Since October 2025, Russian forces destroyed 8.5 gigawatts of Ukraine’s energy generation capacity, including thermal and hydropower plants. As a result, Ukraine has been forced to import electricity from Europe, with the government securing a record 1.9 gigawatts of power from its neighbors.

Ukraine ordered 18 additional IRIS-T air defense systems from Germany’s Diehl Defence, expanding a network that has played a key role in protecting Ukrainian cities from missile and drone attacks.

Earlier, reports emerged that several Ukrainian electrical substations critical to nuclear safety were damaged during Russian strikes, leaving the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant completely without external power.

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