Ukraine's Energy Crisis: Resilience Amidst Struggles

Amidst sustained Russian drone and missile attacks, Ukraine's Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal reports a critical energy situation. With only 20 days of fuel reserves, Kyiv and other regions face severe electricity and heating issues. Emergency actions are underway to restore power and prepare for winter challenges.

Ukraine is grappling with a dire energy crisis as Russian drone and missile attacks continue to target its power infrastructure, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal told parliament on Friday. The nation currently has fuel reserves for just over 20 days, with the situation described as 'very difficult'.

The Minister emphasized that the most pressing challenges are in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Odesa, and frontline areas, where residents face prolonged electricity and heating outages amid subzero temperatures. Shmyhal, having assumed office this week, noted that winter preparations have been inadequate and efforts to mitigate the energy crisis are stalling.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced a state of emergency in the energy sector to address the disrupted power supplies. Meanwhile, Shmyhal has ordered emergency electricity imports and stressed the need to install additional electricity generation capacity by 2026 to meet consumption needs.

(With inputs from agencies.)