Shelling of Kherson CHPP: how many people were really left without heat and what the authorities are doing
30 December 2025 19:32
After another Russian shelling of the Kherson heat and power plant on December 28, 10 to 12 thousand residents of the city were left without centralized heating. This was reported by Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, deputy head of the Kherson regional military administration, on Hromadske Radio , "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
What is known about the attack on the Kherson CHP plant
Russian troops fired artillery at the Kherson CHPP, which has been under regular shelling for a long time. As a result of the attack, the facility suffered significant damage and was forced to completely suspend operations.
The authorities emphasize that it is currently impossible to resume the operation of the thermal power plant due to the constant threat of new attacks, including by drones.
Confusion with numbers
After the shelling, information appeared in the public space that about 40,000 Kherson residents were left without heat. This information was denied by the deputy head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, Oleksandr Tolokonnikov.
According to him, 40,000 is the number of houses, not people. In Kherson, there are a total of 1090 multi-storey buildings, of which 470 received heat from CHP.
Currently, the city is home to about 60 thousand people. Approximately 20% of them live in houses that were left without heating.
“In fact, we are talking about 10,000 to 12,000 residents being left without heat,” Tolokonnikov explained.
How people are being helped
Local authorities have already started distributing electric heaters to residents. Some of the equipment was provided by Naftogaz, while other devices were purchased or donated by the city authorities.
The heaters are being distributed first to socially vulnerable people. Other options for providing heat are being worked out in parallel, but the details of these decisions are not disclosed for security reasons.
The situation with energy infrastructure in Kherson region remains difficult
According to Tolokonnikov, 45 settlements in the coastal zone are still without electricity.
Repair crews cannot work because of constant shelling – there have been cases when shells hit during the restoration work, and power engineers have been injured.
Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the JCS, said earlier that it was impossible to predict the timing of the resumption of Kherson CHPP’s operation. In this regard, the authorities are preparing for a long period of providing alternative heating means to the citizens.
