Escort team destroys drone attacking Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo repair crew

A Russian UAV attacked a Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo emergency repair crew in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, but Ukrainian troops neutralised the drone. This is the fifth time that defence forces escort teams have saved the lives of repair workers.

Source: Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo, a regional power company

Quote from Andrii Stasevskyi, head of Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo: "While carrying out emergency repairs in the Orikhiv area, a Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo crew came under attack by an enemy UAV. The workers were already on an aerial work platform, so they were physically unable to evacuate quickly."

Details: Stasevskyi said the troops providing cover for the energy workers responded quickly and neutralised the drone. The workers continued repairs and restored electricity to 5,500 consumers in the Orikhiv area, while their counterparts from the Zaporizhzhia district electricity network restored power to most residents of Kushuhum and Balabyne.

Stasevskyi said this was already the fifth incident since the beginning of the summer in which defence forces escort teams had saved the lives of Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo crews.

He said that in many areas where Russian occupation forces regularly carry out UAV strikes, it is simply impossible for energy workers to operate without military protection.

"With the support of the Energy Ministry, Ukrainian Distribution Networks and Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration, we have established close cooperation with the military. They are the ones protecting our people while they work, and it is thanks to them that we have the time and opportunity to repair damage to the power grid in these areas and restore electricity to people," Stasevskyi said.

Background:

• New power outages were reported in five Ukrainian oblasts in the morning following a large-scale Russian attack.
• Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo has launched its own transformer production, allowing it to restore electricity supplies within hours rather than a week.

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