Zelensky calls for immediate electricity import boost amid new Russian attacks on energy infrastructure
The Kyiv Independent • • general
Key Points:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the urgent need to increase electricity imports and acquire additional equipment after Russian attacks on energy infrastructure caused widespread power outages during the country's coldest winter since the invasion began.
- Overnight Russian strikes on January 16-17 targeted substations in Odesa and Kyiv oblasts, leaving tens of thousands without power, with further instability reported in Poltava, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Dnipro oblasts, complicating repair efforts amid freezing temperatures.
- Ukraine currently produces only 11 gigawatts of electricity but requires 18 gigawatts, relying on imports capped at 2.3 gigawatts, which are costly and insufficient to prevent rolling blackouts lasting up to 16 hours
