KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s new energy minister said Friday that not a single power plant in Ukraine has been spared from attacks since Russia’s full-scale invasion and a recent escalation of aerial bombardment that left hundreds of thousands without heat or light for days during the coldest winter in years.
Denys Shmyhal said Russia carried out 612 attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure last year. The situation has intensified in recent months as nighttime temperatures have plummeted to minus 18 degrees Celsius (minus 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit).
“No one in the world has faced such a challenge,” Shmikhal told lawmakers in a speech at the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament.
During nearly four years of war, Russia has targeted Ukraine’s power grid, especially during the winter. The aim is to weaken Ukrainians’ willingness to resist, a strategy Kiev officials describe as “weaponizing winter.”
About halfway through the winter, the grim outlook coincides with uncertainty about the direction and progress of U.S.-led peace efforts.
“This is a critical moment,” Jaime V, deputy head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ delegation in Kiev, said on Friday.
“This is the harshest winter since the conflict escalated: freezing temperatures and a lack of heating and electricity are affecting millions of people who have been pushed to the edge by years of violence and economic pressure,” he told a news conference in Geneva.
Electricity shortages are so severe in Ukraine that Shmikhal urged businesses to turn off illuminated signage and exterior decorations to save power.
“If you have excess energy, it’s better to give it to people,” the energy minister said. “That’s the most important thing today. People will appreciate it.”
Ukraine has taken emergency measures, including temporarily easing curfew restrictions and allowing people to go to public heating centers set up by authorities if needed, Shmyhal said, adding that hospitals, schools and other critical infrastructure remained the top priority for electricity and heating.
Shmyhal said officials had instructed state energy companies Ukrzaliznytsia, Naftogaz and Ukroboronprom to urgently purchase imported electricity to meet at least 50% of their own electricity consumption.
British Deputy Prime Minister David Lamy was in Kiev on Friday to mark the first anniversary of “100 years of partnership” between the UK and Ukraine. To coincide with the anniversary, the UK announced a further £20 million ($27 million) to repair Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
A brutal war of attrition continues along some 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) of front. Despite its strong military capabilities, Russia has occupied less than 20% of Ukraine since 2014.
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