Second-level protection has proven its effectiveness at energy facilities – Shmyhal

Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal said this at a parliament meeting on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

According to him, nine different types and levels of protection have now been developed in Ukraine for critical infrastructure facilities, not only energy. In the energy sector, protective structures have been erected at the vast majority of substations.

Shmyhal stressed that second-level concrete protective structures have already withstood numerous attacks by Russian drones, and in some cases, up to 20 hits, as well as missile strikes.

"In fact, passive protection, the so-called second level, has proven its effectiveness today. It preserves the transformer equipment," Shmyhal said.

He also drew attention to the economic feasibility of such an approach. According to Shmyhal, the cost of one missile for the Patriot system is about $3 million, while the construction of one second-level passive protection facility is cheaper. Given this, the use of several missiles to intercept a ballistic target is more economically expensive than the construction of passive protection.

"If we consider the economics of protection, then everything that is protected by concrete and buried underground is more economically profitable than actively protecting it, taking into account the fact that active protection has a certain percentage of probability that the strike will pass. Therefore, protection is profitable. And it must be continued," he said.

As reported, UAH 50 billion has already been allocated for the protection of critical infrastructure.

Photo: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine