Ukraine scrambling for energy as Russian strikes hit infrastructure | Russia-Ukraine war News

Ukraine’s energy minister has warned that Russian attacks have crippled the country’s electricity grid, leaving residents without heating or power in freezing winter temperatures.

Denys Shmyhal, who took office ‍earlier this week, told parliament on Friday that there was “not a single power plant left in Ukraine that the enemy has not attacked”.

Shmyhal said the most challenging situation is in the capital, Kyiv, as well as the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and ‍Odesa.

Towns near the front line in eastern Ukraine are also filled with thousands of homes that have been without electricity and heating for days in subzero conditions.

“In some cities and regions, winter preparations have failed. Over the past two days in office, I’ve seen ​that many things are clearly stalling,” ‌said Shmyhal, whose ministry estimates that Ukraine has fuel reserves ‍to last just 20 days.

Since launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has each winter concentrated fire on the country’s energy infrastructure in a bid to weaken Kyiv’s defences and its ability to resist Moscow’s far-reaching demands for territory and other concessions.

Earlier this week, a senior United Nations official warned that Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure so far this winter have “deprived millions of Ukrainians of electricity, heating and water for prolonged periods”.

“The impact of these attacks is felt hardest by the most vulnerable: the elderly, children, and persons with limited mobility,” UN Undersecretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said on Monday.

Appeal for funds

Russia has continued to attack Ukraine’s infrastructure despite international condemnation.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Friday that the capital had only about half the electricity that it needs following the Russian strikes.

Kyiv requires 1,700 megawatts of electricity to power the services for its 3.6 million people, Klitschko told the Reuters news agency.

“It’s the first time in the history of our city that, in such severe frosts, most of the city was left without heating and with a huge shortage of electricity,” he said.

The city of Kharkiv, 25km (15 miles) from the Russian border, has also been struggling after Mayor Ihor Terekhov said Russian ‍forces destroyed a large energy facility in Ukraine’s second-biggest city on Thursday.

He did not specify what sort of facility had been hit, but said emergency crews were working around ​the clock.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack had left 400,000 people without electricity.

Shmyhal – the Ukrainian energy minister – said he ordered emergency imports of electricity to respond to the crisis. He also said Ukraine needs to install up to 2.7GW of generation ‍capacity by the end of the year if it is to meet its consumption needs.

“State companies, primarily Ukrainian Railways and Naftogaz, must urgently ensure the procurement of imported electric energy during the 2025-26 heating season, amounting to at least 50 percent of total consumption,” the minister said.

The energy ministry did not provide data on how much electricity Ukraine currently generates or imports, information that authorities have withheld due to wartime sensitivities.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko has also introduced measures to try to address the situation, including reducing overnight curfews to allow people to access central heating and power hubs, as well as extending school holidays in Kyiv until February 1.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said ‌the foreign and energy ministries had organised an international appeal for funds to help tackle Ukraine’s energy problems, similar to periodic meetings on arms supplies. ‌Norway, he said, had offered an initial grant of $200m.

Ukraine-US talks

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said on Friday that a Ukrainian delegation was en route to the United States for another set of meetings with US officials.

“We hope this will lead to greater clarity regarding the documents already prepared with the American side and regarding Russia’s response to the diplomatic efforts that have taken place and are still ongoing,” the Ukrainian president said.

US President Donald Trump has been pushing to end the conflict, but several rounds of negotiations have failed to reach an agreement.

Russia has insisted on several contentious points, including territorial concessions from Ukraine and for Ukrainian leaders to agree to limit their country’s military capacities and eschew a push to join NATO.

On Friday, Zelenskyy reiterated that any delay in signing a deal to end the war was Russia’s fault. “There must be sufficient pressure on Moscow. I believe we are very close to ending the war, if that pressure is applied,” he said.