Ukraine struggles to revive warmth, electrical energy as temperatures plummet to -19 levels Celsius.
Printed On 15 Jan 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated {that a} state of emergency is being declared for Ukraine’s power sector, as repeated Russian assaults have left 1000’s of properties with out warmth and electrical energy amid freezing winter situations.
Zelenskyy’s announcement got here as temperatures dropped to -19 levels Celsius (-2.2 Fahrenheit) in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, the place a whole bunch of house buildings stay with out warmth following a large Russian assault final week.
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“The implications of Russian strikes and deteriorating climate situations are extreme,” stated Zelenskyy in a submit on X late on Wednesday, including that “restore crews, power corporations, municipal companies, and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine proceed to work across the clock to revive electrical energy and heating”.
Zelenskyy additionally stated he had requested his authorities to evaluation curfew restrictions throughout “this extraordinarily chilly climate” and that the nation was working to extend its electrical energy imports to attempt to alleviate the dire scenario.
In Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, 471 house buildings remained with out warmth on Wednesday, virtually every week after a Russian attack left 1000’s of flats with out warmth, electrical energy and water, in response to metropolis officers.
The assault, which started final Thursday evening, prompted Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko to induce individuals to depart town, saying that “half of house buildings in Kyiv – almost 6,000 – are at the moment with out heating as a result of the capital’s vital infrastructure was broken by the enemy’s large assault”.
Vitality provide has been a frequent target throughout Russia’s conflict on Ukraine, with Moscow and Kyiv launching assaults on oil refineries, fuel pipelines, pumping stations and nuclear and thermal energy stations, that are powered by coal, oil and fuel.
Russian-appointed native official Yevhen Balitsky stated on Telegram on Wednesday {that a} Ukrainian assault had left greater than 3,000 individuals with out electrical energy in Russian-occupied areas of Zaporizhia.
Black Sea assaults
The frequent assaults on power provide throughout Russia’s conflict with Ukraine have additionally expanded past each nations’ borders, together with to grease tankers within the Black Sea.
In current months, plenty of oil tankers have come below assault from drones within the Black Sea, prompting issues from neighbouring nations, including Turkiye and Kazakhstan.
On Tuesday, drones struck two oil tankers within the Black Sea, chartered by United States oil big Chevron, in response to the businesses concerned. The ships had been crusing in direction of a terminal on the Russian coast, with the Russian Ministry of International Affairs on Wednesday blaming the assaults on Ukraine, which had but to publicly remark.
Kazakhstan’s International Ministry stated in an announcement on Wednesday that three oil tankers had been hit within the assault and that they had been heading to a Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal, the place an oil pipeline from the central Asian nation ends.
The ministry urged the US and Europe to assist safe the transport of oil.
“The growing frequency of such incidents highlights the rising dangers to the functioning of worldwide power infrastructure,” it stated.
