Is It Realistically Possible to Destroy the Bortnytsia Aeration Plant Through Shelling? An Expert Assessment

This is discussed in a "Shelter" article on the threats facing Kyiv’s only wastewater treatment plant.

Oleg Popenko, head of the “Union of Utility Consumers” and an expert on housing and communal services, believes that destroying the facility, which covers an area of about 300 hectares, is “extremely difficult and practically impossible.”

According to him, to do so, the Russians would have to focus on destroying it over a long period of time, but even that would not necessarily shut it down, since the basins, substations, and pumping stations are spread out over a vast area.

Popenko explained that the plant could cease operations due to a power outage, but this is unlikely, as the facility has backup power sources.

At the same time, Oleksandr Serhiienko, director of the “City Institute,” noted that reports of threats to the Bortnytsia aeration plant are significantly exaggerated.

According to him, local authorities have prepared for a power outage scenario: all wastewater pumping stations are equipped with backup generators, and Kyiv plans to introduce 200 MW of additional capacity for critical infrastructure.

On August 5, political analyst and veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war Viktor Taran reported that Russia had launched a ballistic missile strike on the Bortnytsia aeration station. He also outlined a number of threats that could arise if the station were damaged as a result of Russian attacks.

Subsequently, Dmytro Lykhoviy, a spokesperson for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated that reports of the Bortnytsia aeration plant being hit were untrue.