Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that authorities will declare a state of emergency in the energy sector following sustained Russian strikes on heat and power infrastructure amid freezing winter conditions.
"A permanent coordination headquarters will be established to address the situation in the city of Kyiv. Overall, a state of emergency will be declared for Ukraine's energy sector," he said after holding a meeting on the situation in the energy sector.
He said work was underway "to significantly increase the volume of electricity imports into Ukraine."
Emergency repair crews are working around the clock to restore electricity in Ukraine’s Kyiv region after sustained Russian attacks on energy infrastructure caused widespread outages during one of the coldest winters in recent years, officials said Wednesday.
In Boryspil, a town of about 60,000 people southeast of Kyiv, technicians have been dismantling and rebuilding damaged electrical systems following strikes that burned out key components. Crews are working in subzero temperatures, as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit), from early morning until late at night, according to local energy officials.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the situation as the most extensive and prolonged power disruption since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago. Some areas have been without electricity for several consecutive days, he said.
Russian attacks have focused on power plants and major substations, significantly straining Ukraine’s energy grid. Dennis Sakva, an energy sector analyst at Ukrainian investment firm Dragon Capital, said replacing damaged equipment such as large transformers can take months due to production and delivery constraints.
Despite ongoing repairs, officials warned that power disruptions are likely to continue as winter conditions persist and attacks on energy infrastructure continue.
