“If in 2023 the warhead of a Shahed drone was 40 kg, today it’s more than 100. Different charge, different speed, now there are reactive Shaheds. The attack angle used to be 40–45 degrees; now it’s 80 degrees. These are completely different solutions with entirely new requirements that keep escalating,” noted Serhiy Sukhomlyn.
He gave several examples where proper protection saved key facilities.
“Last year we finished 330 kV transformers, Ukrenergo’s. We have a record — 60 direct hits from Shahed drones. Second place is 43 direct hits. Two weeks ago near Kyiv, one large substation was hit by 24 rockets, one of them a direct hit on a protected object. It held — the transformer is working. So the state has done quite a lot to protect these facilities. But the time required to build protection varies entirely depending on the facility,” the head of the State Infrastructure Agency said.
According to Sukhomlyn, Ukraine does not have the funds or time to bury critical infrastructure underground like South Korea does.
“I visited South Korea, studied their approach, and saw these transformers. When they build a metro station, they immediately construct an underground shelter to house a large transformer. It’s a government programme that works and is implemented in peacetime.
Unfortunately, we don’t have the resources for that today — neither time nor personnel to do it quickly. So we took a different approach. First, we build the initial level (grids, gabions, sandbags), then the second level (concrete structures), and partly some facilities reach the third level (essentially constructing new objects that can be placed underground). And it works. It’s much better than doing nothing,” noted Serhiy Sukhomlyn.
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He added that there are examples of third-level protection where 330 kV and 750 kV transformers are fully buried underground. Since September, however, the enemy has been targeting smaller substations of 110–150 kV, and the State Agency was tasked with protecting them.
“In November we began building protection for 120 facilities in frontline areas. Keep in mind, this construction happens during air raids. People at many substations didn’t even leave the facilities during alerts — they have tablets to track incoming drones. They worked mostly in two shifts, in freezing conditions. By May 20, we aim to cover 90% of the transformers, ready for full installation. So here the question is how much time and resources are needed,” Sukhomlyn said.
Regarding the protection of water utilities, which, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the enemy plans to target more heavily as the weather warms, Serhiy Sukhomlyn reminded that this responsibility lies with the facility operators. However, fully protecting such infrastructure is impossible.
“If a city has a water utility, it must ensure residents receive reliable water supply. Around November, engineers and the General Staff and I inspected facilities in Zaporizhzhya. I personally visited all of them — both heating and water systems. The technical conclusion was clear: you cannot fully protect a water utility.
But what should be done first? Protect the pump groups. These are concrete measures, and such protection has already been built in several cities. Construction takes about three months and is relatively inexpensive.
We protect the principle, not the entire facility. Physically, it’s impossible. You can’t protect a thermal power plant from a missile. But you can safeguard its critical elements. Even if five to ten Shahed drones hit, the facility will still operate,” the head of the State Agency emphasised.