Ukraine's energy minister: "This winter will be difficult"

Ukraine's Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal warned that the country faces a difficult winter and urged citizens to prepare, saying challenges to the energy system would persist regardless of developments on the battlefield.

In remarks published by Ukrainian media outlet Novyny.LIVE, Shmyhal said Ukrainians should brace for a challenging cold season, stressing that the situation would remain difficult whether or not hostilities continue.

"This winter will be difficult, and we must be prepared," Shmyhal said.

Russia continued its campaign against Ukraine's energy infrastructure throughout 2026, carrying out a series of large-scale missile and drone attacks that strained the country's power system.

On February 7, Russia launched one of its biggest assaults of the year, firing more than 400 drones and around 40 missiles at electricity generation facilities, substations and transmission networks across Ukraine, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The attack prompted emergency electricity imports from neighbouring countries.

Further strikes followed in February. On February 10, attacks on energy facilities in the Odesa region left more than 95,000 people without electricity. Two days later, Russian missile and drone strikes disrupted power, heating and water supplies for tens of thousands of residents in Kyiv, Dnipro and Odesa.

On February 22 and 26, Russia again targeted energy and gas infrastructure, including facilities in Kyiv, Dnipro and Poltava regions. In March, attacks on energy facilities in the Chernihiv region left about 212,000 consumers without power.

By Aghakazim Guliyev