Ukraine is experiencing its harshest winter in decades, - Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasised that this winter has been one of the harshest in decades. Energy workers restored the system under fire.
According to Censor.NET, Zelensky made this statement in an interview with Sky News.
"I mean, this was the harshest winter for a couple of decades... minus 20... at night minus 30. But it doesn't matter, day or night, because if you don't have heating, it's difficult during the day, during the night... because minus 30 (it - ed.) is so difficult, [a] big challenge for our people," the Ukrainian leader said.
He highly praised the work of specialists in restoring Ukraine's energy systems after repeated Russian attacks.
"We had absolutely heroic teams who renovated electricity, energy system and also we had losses because they did it [repairs] under missile attacks," Zelenskyy said.
Russia's attacks on the energy sector: consequences for Ukraine
Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure have become a systematic tactic of war, especially since autumn 2022. The main targets are power plants, substations, combined heat and power plants, and electricity transmission facilities.
Which facilities are under attack:
- TPPs and CHPs, in particular DTEK facilities
- Substations and main networks of the operator Ukrenergo
- HPPs, in particular Ukrhydroenergo
- Large generation facilities, including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (under Russian occupation).
Due to damage to power generation and networks, emergency and planned power outage schedules are being introduced. During peak periods, power outages lasting many hours are possible.
In cities where electricity powers pumps and boiler rooms, power outages lead to interruptions in centralised heating and water supply.
