Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that a difficult situation with power supply persists in Ukraine amid ongoing Russian strikes on energy infrastructure. According to him, maximum operational and full cooperation of state structures, regional and local authorities, as well as companies supplying electricity, heat, and water to the population must be ensured throughout the country, regardless of ownership form. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine citing the president's statement.
Urgent directive to the government and law enforcement
The head of state instructed the government and law enforcement agencies to present a list of measures by the end of the day to ensure full cooperation with those companies currently lagging behind in repairs and infrastructure restoration. Zelenskyy stressed that inspections of such companies must be carried out on a mandatory basis, and the results reported accordingly. In his assessment, delays in restoration work are unacceptable, especially under conditions where repeated strikes and constant air raid alerts multiply repair times.
Why repairs are being delayed
The president explained that due to repeated strikes on energy facilities and regular air raid alerts, restoration work takes significantly longer than under normal operating conditions. Each new attack destroys partially restored sections of the grids, requiring a repeated repair cycle. At the same time, Zelenskyy reported that reserves of necessary equipment have been formed, and restoration must take place after each strike without long pauses. This, according to him, should become a systemic rule of operation for energy companies and local authorities.
Regions with the most difficult situation
Zelenskyy singled out Kyiv, where population and businesses face multi-hour electricity and water outages. A difficult situation, he said, is developing in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Vinnytsia regions, as well as in the Donbas, where emergency challenges related to combat operations are added to energy supply problems. In the southern regions of Ukraine, according to the president, queues and emergency power outages are observed.
Context: cancellation of emergency shutdowns on November 4
On the afternoon of November 4, emergency power outages were canceled in most regions of Ukraine. At the same time, as noted, the most difficult situation with power supply remains in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast. Russian forces, according to available data, are concentrating strikes on the energy infrastructure of Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts, choosing regions with high population density. Against this background, Zelenskyy's directive to inspect companies lagging in repairs and form mechanisms for their interaction with law enforcement agencies looks like an attempt to accelerate restoration and minimize the duration of outages for citizens.
