Ukrainians must expect power cuts throughout the winter, according to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at a Cabinet meeting, noting that many power plants have taken damage amid Russian attacks.
Although the situation is currently "under control," there are still shortcomings in the power supply due to the damage, he said. "All thermal and hydroelectric power plants in the country have been damaged."
In addition, about 40% of the high-voltage grid systems were damaged to varying degrees, he said. "So in most of the regions, the constraints in power supply are still significant," he summed up.
"Let's be honest that this winter we will constantly live under the conditions of limited electricity," he said, according to state news agency UNIAN. Priorities have to be set, he said. Priority would be given to critical infrastructure, such as hospitals and water and heat supply, followed by the military-industrial complex under the motto "everything for the front."
Critical supply objects such as bakeries or dairies would only be in third place. The supply of electricity to the civilian population was only in fourth place.
Earlier, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the head of the state electricity grid operator Ukrenergo, had already pointed out the problems. He said that the electricity deficit could be partly compensated for by measures such as importing electricity, "but not completely."
Russian missile attacks in recent weeks have targeted Ukraine's entire energy infrastructure. As a result, the electricity supply in particular has collapsed in large parts of the country. Since then, it has been possible to supply the population with limited electricity supply, at least on an hourly basis.
