Variation #18
By Thomas Gallagher
Print: Artist Proof 8/10
Frame: plaster, steel rebar, latex paint
Since the 2022 invasion, over 155 billion U.S. dollars of damage has been inflicted on Ukraine’s infrastructure. This includes not only housing, but also industry, energy, education and healthcare facilities.
This destruction represent a systemic attack on the essential resources people need to survive. Damage to the electric and gas grids means to no electricity, no heat, and no running water. While Ukraine may be an agricultural nation, almost 70% of its population lives in urban areas. Russia has deliberately escalated attacks on the Ukraine’s energy grids during winter, when much of the country faces freezing temperature and heavy snow. People in urban areas cannot forage for wood to burn when the heat turns off, nor can they draw water from wells when faucets run dry. Even when conditions are not as severe as in winter, these attacks take their toll. Imagine living for months with limited or no gas or electricity. How do you cook without a stove? What would you do without your cell phone? Your computer? What happens at night when you run out of candles?
These bombardments have occurred across the country, often far from any front lines. In the first two years of the war, over 50% of the country’s energy infrastructure was targeted. This year, the attacks intensified. The systematic assaults that took place on 21 March 2024, targeted— among other places—the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, raising fears of a nuclear disaster. Moscow followed up in August with even more strikes. Over 80% of the country’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged. Despite Ukraine’s remarkable efforts to repair and rebuild, these recent attacks have left the country overwhelmed. Rolling blackouts have returned as Kyiv scrambles to prepare for winter.(A) It is yet another example of Russia’s attempt to demoralize and destroy the civilian population, an act that constitutes a war crime.(B)
Photograph by Thomas Gallagher.
A) For more on Ukraine’s rebuilding efforts, see Variation #25.
B) For more on Russian war crimes, see Variations #1, #8, #14, #15, #16, #19 and #22, among others.
See below for further reading and background.
KSE Institute update of damages caused to Ukraine’s infrastructure due to the war, Kyiv School of Economics, Updated 12 Feb 2024.
Ukraine: Mid-year metrics 2024, Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, 10 Aug 24.
Ukraine needs $486 bln to recover, rebuild after nearly two years of war—World Bank, Reuters, 15 Feb 24.
Air Raid Alert Map of Ukraine, Real time data (refreshes every 15 seconds), As of September 2024.