Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the head of Ukraine's state-owned grid operator Ukrenergo, said on Nov. 16 that there are several "hard days" ahead for Ukraine. As the weather is getting colder and the electricity consumption is growing, so will the load on the grid, Kudrytskyi said.
According to Kudrytskyi, Ukrenergo is prepared to respond to all scenarios but Ukrainians should be prepared for significant power cuts.
The statement came a day after Russia launched the biggest attack on Ukraine's energy system on Nov. 15, causing emergency power outages across the country.
According to Kudrytskyi, the most difficult situation is currently in the western, central, and north-eastern regions of Ukraine.
Russia launched 90 missiles at targets across Ukraine on Nov. 15, according to Deputy Head of the President's Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko, and 70 of them were intercepted by air defense. The strikes hit 15 infrastructure sites across the country.
Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko called the attack the "most massive" bombardment of power infrastructure since the beginning of the war.
Parts of neighboring Moldova also suffered power outages for the first time after a critical power line was suddenly disconnected during the attack.
