Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday declared a state of emergency in the country’s energy sector due to tackle challenges in power supply caused by relentless Russian attacks on the grid.
Emergency crews have been working around the clock to restore power and heating supplies after massive Russian attacks last week, especially in capital Kyiv.
“The consequences of Russian strikes and deteriorating weather conditions are severe. Overall, a state of emergency will be declared for Ukraine’s energy sector. Many issues require urgent resolution,” Zelensky wrote in English on the social media platform X on Wednesday. The Ukrainian president explained that the emergency situation would give authorities more time and flexibility to deal with the problem. Furthermore, he urged to set up centers where resident can stay warm and charge their electronic devices. He also said nightly curfew could be removed in certain areas at night.
Commenting on local authorities’ work to handle the energy shortage problem, Zelenskiy said not much work was being done in capital Kyiv to remedy the situation, urgent to “urgently correct” the situation with disrupted power supplies. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, disagreed with Zelenskiy’s assessment of the work carried out in Kyiv, stating that heating had been restored to all but about 400 of 6,000 affected apartment buildings and support centres were operating 24 hours a day in the capital.
Ukraine’s energy system has been heavily damaged by Russian drone and missile attacks, especially during cold winter months.
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