Our sources in the Office of the President reported that the other day Andriy Yermak held a closed meeting with representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers regarding the state of critical infrastructure and the country's readiness for the heating season.
According to the interlocutors, all scenarios presented by government officials turned out to be negative. The main problem is the lack of energy resources and the high probability of repeated attacks on the power system.
According to preliminary estimates, natural gas reserves in underground storage facilities will last only until February. After that, the country may face the need to limit consumption for industry or switch to emergency schedules.
The situation with electricity is even more complicated. If Russia continues its massive attacks on energy facilities, Ukrainians may face long blackouts — up to 12 hours a day.
One official familiar with the meeting noted, “We only need three or four massive missile attacks on key substations to have a complete blackout. We are working on backup power options, but resources are limited.”
The government is considering several anti-crisis scenarios, including attracting additional electricity supplies from EU countries, repairing damaged nuclear power plant units, and restoring thermal generation. However, all of these measures require time and significant funds.
Energy experts are urging Ukrainians to prepare for possible outages now - to have sources of autonomous lighting, a supply of water, and warm clothes.
