As Russian drones pound Ukraine's power grid, repair crews risk their lives to restore utilities to shattered frontline towns. DW joined one team in the Donetsk region, where the fight to keep the lights on is nearly as fierce as the battle for territory.

Donetsk

Energy workers in Ukraine's front-line regions are facing ongoing threats from Russian drone attacks as they work to restore and maintain power supplies. Teams from DTEK, the country's largest private energy company, have been targeted over 200 times since the conflict began, with many workers losing their homes and living at company bases for safety.

The shift from artillery and plane attacks to predominantly drone strikes has increased the risks for these crews, who rely on drone detectors to avoid being targeted. Despite the devastation and danger, moments of restored electricity provide hope and motivation for the workers as Ukraine heads into another wartime winter.

Ukraine faces a third wartime winter

In Ukraine's front-line towns and villages, the war for energy is almost as relentless as the war for territory. Russian drones target not only soldiers, but the very people fighting to keep the power on. This is Vitaly. He leads an emergency repair team for DTEK, Ukraine's biggest private energy company. There's a front for the military, and there's a front for us, the energy workers. I wouldn't say ours is any easier. Since the war began, DTEK teams and facilities have come under attack more than 200 times. At night, we just try to survive. In the morning, we wake up and drive to those who didn't, whose houses were destroyed, whose lines were hit. Many members of the team have lost their homes too. 40 of them now live here at this DTEK base. It's a place of relative safety and rest in between their dangerous missions. Last year, we were listening for planes or artillery fire. Now 95 percent of attacks are from drones. If the drone operator targets you, you're dead. One of their most valuable tools is a drone detector. It intercepts drone signals and shows Vitaly what the enemy sees, so his crew can tell if they need to run. The signal is weak. He hopes it'll stay that way. Hope is needed here, but it's often in short supply. There's nothing really to say. You can see it all. We're clearing debris from the power line. These are such nice apartments, everything is clear. You can see what the Russians have done. Even among the widespread devastation, there are occasional reasons to smile. Look, there's light and coffee. Don't you want coffee? For these crews, the glimmer of light means more than just power. It's proof of life. And that's enough to keep them going.

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