'Russia is preparing new massive attacks,' Zelensky says
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Jan. 16 that Russia is preparing a new wave of large-scale attacks on Ukraine as the country grapples with a deepening energy crisis.
"Our intelligence reports that Russia is preparing new massive attacks," Zelensky said during his nightly address. He added that Ukraine is coordinating closely with its allies and urged continued military assistance, particularly air defense systems and missiles.
"We are speaking frankly to our partners — both about air defense missiles and the systems we need so much," Zelensky said. "Supplies are insufficient. We are trying to speed things up, and it's crucial that our partners hear us."
The warning comes as Ukraine faces a worsening energy crisis following repeated Russian missile and drone strikes on the country's power grid. Attacks on energy infrastructure have left millions of people across the country, including in the capital, without reliable heat and electricity amid freezing winter temperatures.
In Kyiv and other major cities, temperatures have remained well below freezing, with maximum temperatures struggling to rise above minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit). Heating has been reduced to a minimum in many areas, while frequent unscheduled power outages have limited residents' ability to find alternative sources of warmth.
Zelensky also called for increased international pressure on Russia, saying global silence would only prolong the war.
"The key is that the world does not remain silent about this," he said. "Wars do not end without pressure. And it is precisely because pressure is insufficient that Russians are doing all of this."
Since October 2025, Russian forces have targeted 11 hydroelectric power plants, 45 major combined heat and power plants, 49 thermal power plants, and 151 electrical substations across the country, according to Ukraine's Security Service.
