Ukraine seeks emergency assistance from EU countries amid Russian ballistic strikes

On 2 May, Ukraine sought emergency assistance from Romania, Slovakia, and Poland amid a deficit in the energy system. "Ukrenergo", the state electricity transmission system operator, has urged Ukrainians to conserve energy, especially during morning and evening peak hours. In recent months, Russian ballistic missile strikes have caused significant damage to half of Ukraine's energy system. Despite the attacks, the country continues its military operations, said Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in an interview with Foreign Policy. While many anticipated that Russia would target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with a large number of missiles during the winter, the campaign to destroy critical infrastructure intensified this spring. According to representatives of Ukrenergo, Russians are attempting to achieve what they failed to complete in 2022-2023 - plunge Ukraine into darkness. The company and experts believe that strengthening the country's air defenses is the best way to protect Ukrainian thermal plants, power lines, and other energy facilities from Russian missiles, BBC reports.

"Yesterday, due to increased consumption in the evening hours, the deficit in the energy system grew. To balance consumption and production, the Ukrenergo Dispatch Center was forced to seek emergency assistance from the energy systems of Romania, Slovakia, and Poland from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm," the company's statement said.

As of 9:30 am on 3 May, electricity consumption is 3.6% lower than the previous day, Ukrenergo informed. However, as Ukraine is repairing main power lines, restrictions on electricity supply are being applied to industrial consumers in Kryvyi Rih and civilian consumers in Kharkiv. On 3 May, the company also plans to import electricity from Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, and Moldova, with a total volume of 3,800 MW-hours.

Read more:

• The Telegraph: Russia uses prohibited chemical weapons in Ukraine nearly daily
• Zelenskyy concerned about Russian offensive, expected around the end of May or June – CBS News
• Russia massing 100.000 troops for potential summer offensive – Ukraine Ground Forces Chief