KYIV, UKRAINE – A drone likely carrying a payload of explosives buzzes in the chill night sky over Kyiv, chased by searchlights, before heading towards the Dnipro River and the eastern part of the Ukrainian capital. There is a distant boom as it is shot down like several others in the attacking wave – or hits its target.

In recent months, Moscow intensified its campaign to destroy Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with drones and missiles before the third winter of war sets in. On November 28 alone, Russian strikes left more than a million people without power. Ukraine now faces an energy crunch that could reportedly lead to daily blackouts of 10-12 hours during cold spells.

As the international community provides new equipment and funds for essential repairs, Direct Relief is supporting healthcare and other institutions in creating backup energy systems. As part of its global Power for Health Initiative, more than 2,500 13.5 kWh Tesla Powerwall 2 units were supplied, including 500 from the Polish government, to support critical and social infrastructure. Direct Relief’s contribution so far is valued at around $12 million.

This cooperation became an important element of national resilience, said former Deputy Minister for Digital Transformation Yegor Dubinsky, who worked closely with Direct Relief on much of the project: “Power for Health is an effective response which allows our hospitals, emergency services, and schools to work during the power outages, and our people to continue to live despite all attempts to break their will.”

Light and Life at Health Facilities

Almost half of the donated units will support healthcare facilities, allowing them to seamlessly maintain power in case of blackouts and instability of the power grid. Direct Relief is also looking into the supply of solar panels, also in coordination with the digital transformation ministry and a Kharkiv-based core partner the Yevhen Pyvovarov’s Charity Fund, or CFYP.

It all adds up to a buffer against the unthinkable — that patients may die on the operating table because lights or vital equipment suddenly powered off, urgently needed lab results are lost, or doctors cannot perform even basic procedures that require electricity.

“The Powerwalls provide a sense of security,” said Eduard Chekhovsky, a technician who installed and maintains 10 of the units donated to the National Cancer Institute in Kyiv. These now provide emergency lighting for 8 of its 17 operating theaters, as well as for equipment for anesthesia monitoring, the blood transfusion unit, an emergency laboratory, cold storage for genetic tissue samples, and three intensive care wards for 13 patients.

The hospital has generators as a secondary backup, but these are fuel-thirsty and prone to breaking down, unlike the Powerwalls, which are essentially large lithium-ion batteries that charge off the main grid and can instantly give several hours of power in emergencies. “For a generator to reach full working capacity it can take five minutes,” said Chekhovsky. “Our Powerwalls only have a fraction of a second delay [before activating.]”

Strategic Power Placement Where It’s Needed Most

Thanks to the efforts of CFYP, most of the units, each weighing 160 kg (352 lbs), have been distributed around the country, with an emphasis on frontline and border regions.

Of 2,519 units delivered, the largest number (1,231) was supplied to healthcare institutions. Educational institutions received 485 units, the State Emergency Service 349 units, the social sector 147 units, while 40 more comprise a reserve for replacing damaged units.

A major recipient (248 units) is the Chernihiv region, located north of Kyiv and sharing a highly vulnerable border with Russia and Belarus. At the Regional Children’s Hospital, two units were installed in its labyrinth-like basement, which is being converted to house small-scale specialized medical units during air alerts, with adjoining rooms with beds for children. The surroundings are spartan but at least brightly lit and reasonably safe in emergencies – direct hits notwithstanding.

Healthcare facilities have also been directly targeted. In September alone, 40 attacks on health facilities were verified, resulting in 12 deaths and 53 injuries, according to the Ukraine Health Cluster. Therefore, some recipients of Powerwalls used part of this capacity to make the hours spent underground during alerts less traumatic.

At the Medical Rehabilitation Center for Mother and Child in the southern port city of Odesa, as well as powering operating theaters and 19 small wards, Tesla units also work in the new basement bomb shelter. Close to completion when Direct Relief visited in November, the 300-square-meter premises were to include beds and a modest cinema hall so the children and parents are not in a state of fear during alerts.

“We are very grateful – this [donation of Powerwalls] has really helped us out in difficulty,” said hospital director Natalia Odariy-Zakharieva. “Now, as soon as the shelter is finished, we will be fully prepared for winter.”

Direct Relief has supported health services for Ukrainians with over $1.4 billion in medical and financial assistance since February 2022, including through resilient power systems.