Meet the workers battling to keep the lights on in Ukraine

When Russian missiles hurtle towards the Ukrainian power plant and employees scramble for the bomb shelter, a handful of workers stay above ground in a control room protected by sandbags to keep the system running manually.

The facility, the location of which energy officials asked Reuters not to identify for security reasons, has been pounded by missiles in 2024 in an aerial assault on the grid that Russia renewed in November as the war's third winter sets in.

"When there are attacks, we stay here even though we know there are missiles coming at us. To say we're not afraid is not true because we are all living, normal people, and we are afraid," said shift leader Serhii, 52, who has worked at the plant for over 30 years.

Outside the control hub is a vast machine room that has holes in its walls and extensive damage after missile strikes, the most recent of which were on Nov 17 in this facility.

The smell of burning hung in the air during a recent Reuters visit, as water dripped from a damaged roof.