Zelenskyy Holds 'Tough Conversation' with Government Over Multi-Day Blackouts in Kyiv Region

On November 13, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a selector meeting with members of the government, which featured what he described as a "tough conversation" regarding the electricity supply situation in several regions of the country. The head of state expressed dissatisfaction that residents of Bila Tserkva and Brovary were left without electricity for several days, while reports coming from the ground presented a different, less alarming picture. Zelenskyy made this statement during his evening address to the nation.

Reports Did Not Match Reality

The central point of the selector conference was the discrepancy between the actual state of affairs and the information sent by local leaders to central authorities. According to the president, people in Bila Tserkva and Brovary were left without power not for a few hours, but for several days. At the same time, Zelenskyy emphasized that reports from the field "gave different information." "Problems must be solved, not hidden," the head of state stated, pointing out the unacceptability of such a practice.

Konotop and Shostka: Additional Reports

During the same meeting, Zelenskyy reported that he had received updates on the situation in Konotop and Shostka—cities in the Sumy region that also faced electricity supply issues. The president stated that he expects local residents to receive the necessary assistance and that energy supplies in these settlements will be promptly restored.

Gratitude to Power Workers and Demands on Utilities

Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to "power workers, truly heroic repair crews, and rescuers of the SES of Ukraine," who, according to him, often restore electricity supply under ongoing shelling. At the same time, the president stressed that wherever municipal services or individual companies "fall short," there must be a "very quick" reaction from state authorities.

Context: DTEK Facility Damage and Outages Up to 20 Hours

As RBC-Ukraine previously reported, the cause of the prolonged blackouts in the Kyiv region was damage to ten energy facilities belonging to the DTEK company, inflicted over the past week. Due to a grid failure in certain settlements of the Fastiv, Bucha, and Obukhiv districts of the Kyiv region, power outages lasted up to 20 hours a day, creating severe difficulties for residents during the autumn-winter period.