Russia will launch another campaign of destruction to take down the Ukrainian energy system this winter, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily address to Ukrainian citizens on 6 October.
Ukraine is fully aware of the danger that Russia may pose in winter and prepares for Russian attacks, President Zelenskyy said.
“The current Russian leadership always does what it has already done before. They repeat all their mistakes. They repeat all evil. And when they fail, they think they have allegedly done too little evil to succeed. This is crazy logic. But we have to take it into account. This winter, Russian terrorists will try to destroy our energy system again. They cannot accept the idea that Ukraine will not be conquered anyway. But they will try to launch more attacks and bypass our defense,” Zelenskyy said.
On 6 October, President Zelenskyy chaired Ukraine’s Security Council and heard reports from the Ukrainian military and all officials responsible for protecting the Ukrainian energy sector. Ukraine’s President discussed the tactics that will help the country “get through the winter” with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, ministers, heads of energy companies, representatives of the communications sector, and heads of regional administrations. Such issues as the physical protection of energy facilities, reconstruction, and the procedure for dealing with emergencies in case Russian attacks succeed were on the agenda of the Security Council.
According to President Zelenskyy, Ukraine is strengthening its air defense and cooperating with allies to secure energy sustainability. Zelenskyy confirmed that Germany plans to provide Ukraine with another Patriot air defense system.
“In particular, this week, Germany and Ukraine worked out the transfer of another Patriot battery to Ukraine, which will be a significant reinforcement. We agreed with Spain on additional Hawk air defense systems and support with energy equipment. The content of the new security package was discussed with Italy,” Zelenskyy said. “Winning this winter, overcoming all difficulties, and providing protection to our people is crucial,” Zelenskyy added.
In October 2022, Russia launched missile and kamikaze drone attacks on the Ukrainian critical civilian infrastructure, aiming to cut Ukrainian cities from heating, water supply, and electricity. Millions of people in Ukraine went through numerous blackouts due to the damage inflicted by Russian missile and drone strikes.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy estimates that between 3.7 and 4.0 billion US dollars are needed to support the Ukrainian energy sector in 2023.
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