At CHP-5, a plant in Kharkov that generates electricity and heat, the acrid stench of smoke still hangs in the air. Its damaged generator and turbine must be replaced, according to plant manager Oleksandr Minkovich.
Spare parts for the Soviet-era plant can only be sourced from Russia, and full restoration would likely take years, he said. But Minkovitch hopes the Ukraine’s Western partners will provide modern technology to decentralize power in time for winter [2026].