President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a coordination call on restoring energy supplies after Russian strikes and said Kyiv is facing the worst situation, with prolonged power and water outages.
The challenges are extremely serious for people and businesses in the capital, Zelenskyy said. He tied the outages to two causes: a failure to implement decisions at the city level on preparations for the heating season, and Russia’s operation against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
The Ukrainian government is providing additional resources and taking measures that can help, he said. Those steps include supplying equipment and speeding up restoration work. Ukraine also has agreements with Germany and Spain, discussed with leaders and companies during his visits, on the supply of generators, cables and other equipment.
The call also heard reports on the situation in Dnipro, Kharkiv, the Poltava, Cherkasy and Vinnytsia regions, Odesa and the region, and the Zhytomyr, Sumy and Kyiv regions. Zelenskyy held separate discussions with representatives of energy companies, both state-owned and private, about bringing in additional crews and speeding up restoration.
Extra Pay for Restoration Crews
The prime minister reported the launch of a program of additional monthly payments for everyone involved in restoration work. The payments cover energy workers, utility workers, railway workers, and employees of water treatment and water supply facilities.
Designated capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are also being brought in to restore the power grid and energy facilities, Zelenskyy said.
The commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and the commander of the Air Force reported on the use of combat aircraft, groups protecting energy and infrastructure facilities, and mobile fire groups to shoot down “shaheds.” Ukraine is preparing additional supplies of munitions for F-16s, and relevant agreements with partners are already in place, he said.
The prime minister also received separate instructions on communication with neighboring countries and the operation of the export Solidarity Lanes.
Spain and Germany Packages
In an earlier post, Zelenskyy said a new €437 million defense package from Spain will help Ukrainian warriors on the front. A winter support package from Germany will support Ukraine’s resilience, particularly in the energy sector.
Ukraine is also working to speed up deliveries of missiles for Patriots, IRIS-T systems, and assistance for F-16s. Zelenskyy described those items, with the Spain and Germany packages, as the most important results of his visits over the past few days.
In Madrid, Ukraine was represented at the Ibero-American Summit for the first time. Latin American countries heard Ukraine directly and supported it, particularly on assistance with the equipment needed for the power grid, he said.
There were also conversations with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and Zelenskyy spoke with Alexander Stubb of Finland. Ukraine is preparing new diplomatic steps, he said, and he thanked everyone who helps the country and works around the clock for its people.
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