(Bloomberg) -- The state-owned company which operates Ukraine’s power grid has dismissed its chief, local media reported, as the country grapples with regular blackouts amid significant damage to electricity facilities caused by Russia’s strikes.
Four out of six members of the supervisory board of Ukrainian grid operator Ukrenergo voted Monday evening to dismiss Volodymyr Kudrytskyi as head of the company, Forbes.UA said, citing a source familiar with the decision which it didn’t identify. Ukrayinska Pravda reported the same. Ukrenergo press service didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.
The move comes less than a week after Russia launched the biggest missile and drone barrage since the start of its large-scale invasion in 2022. Ukraine is scrambling to repair the damage from the attack which primarily targeted power plants and energy transmission infrastructure. Public concern has been rising over the past months due to prolonged blackouts and unequal distribution of power across the nation as the cold season approaches.
Ukrainians Fear Grim Winter Amid Massive Attacks on Power Plants
Kudrytskyi has led the company since August 2020, becoming a central figure in Ukraine’s quest to keep Russia from plunging the country into darkness. His dismissal follows the ouster of another key infrastructure official, Oleksandr Kubrakov, earlier this year. Having served as deputy premier and infrastructure minister, Kubrakov similarly faced allegations of not having done enough to defend Ukraine’s infrastructure from Russian strikes.
Ukrenergo enjoyed cooperation with prominent international donors including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development during Kudrytskyi’s tenure, issuing global green bonds as part of the country’s efforts to overhaul its debt in 2021. At the same time, its chief regularly faced corruption allegations, which he has repeatedly denied.
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