Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that a state of emergency will be declared across the country’s energy sector. This decision comes as Ukraine faces a brutal combination of freezing winter temperatures and a relentless wave of Russian drone and missile attacks. For months, Moscow has specifically targeted the nation’s power and heating infrastructure, leaving millions of people to struggle through the coldest months of the year without consistent heat or light.
Following a high-level meeting on the crisis, Zelenskyy explained that the situation has become critical enough to require a formal state of emergency. This legal move is designed to streamline the government’s response and allow for quicker decision-making. As part of this effort, a permanent coordination headquarters is being set up in Kyiv to specifically manage the energy crisis in the capital, which has been hit particularly hard.
The situation in Kyiv is especially dire. The city’s mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko, reported that hundreds of housing blocks have been without any heating for several days. This follows a massive Russian air strike that initially knocked out power and heat for nearly half of the city’s residents. Mayor Klitschko noted that the scale of the current damage is the worst seen since the full-scale invasion began nearly four years ago. With temperatures expected to drop below -15C, the lack of heating has become a matter of survival for many families. Currently, residents in many parts of the city are lucky to have electricity for just three hours a day, often spending ten hours or more in total darkness.
In response to the freezing conditions, the President has ordered the government to take several urgent steps. First, there is a major push to increase the amount of electricity Ukraine imports from neighboring countries to help stabilize the grid. Zelenskyy has also instructed officials to ramp up diplomatic efforts with international allies to secure more equipment and backup power systems. To make it easier for businesses and communities to get through the winter, the government is looking to cut through red tape and deregulate the use of backup energy equipment.
Additionally, the government is reviewing local curfew rules to ensure that the restrictions do not prevent people from staying safe or accessing warmth during the coldest parts of the night. Since the most recent wave of attacks, authorities have already set up over 1,200 emergency warming centers—often referred to as “Invincibility Points”—where people can go to get warm, charge their phones, and find hot food and water. Mayor Klitschko has even encouraged those who have the means to do so to temporarily leave the city while repair crews work around the clock to restore basic services. The state of emergency underscores the gravity of the challenge as Ukraine fights to keep its lights on and its citizens warm during one of the most difficult winters in its modern history.
