Ukraine allocates $36 million to bolster energy grid of frontline regions amid Russian strikes, Zelensky says
Ukraine's government has allocated an additional Hr 1.5 billion ($36 million) to bolster energy infrastructure in front-line regions as Russia intensifies its attacks on the country's power grid ahead of winter, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 7.
Zelensky announced the funding after a meeting with Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, saying the money will go toward protecting critical energy facilities and creating a reserve of equipment for the rapid restoration of power supply.
"We have formed a reserve for the prompt restoration of energy supply, and we will continue to increase it," Zelensky said.
The president stated that the government has also agreed to maintain a fixed price for household natural gas and imposed a moratorium on cutting off power in frontline communities.
"Despite all the challenges, we must support the communities that are now facing the most difficult conditions," Zelensky said.
Moscow launched a massive missile and drone attack on Oct. 3 against energy facilities across several regions, including Kharkiv, Poltava, Chernihiv and Donetsk oblasts, Zelensky said earlier. The attack, which targeted state-owned gas and oil company Naftogaz, was the largest against Ukraine's energy sector since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, according to company officials.
Ukraine's energy ministry and local authorities are racing to repair damage and fortify key sites before winter, when freezing temperatures and power shortages could deepen the energy crisis.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's power grid, gas facilities and heating systems ahead of winter in an attempt to make living conditions unbearable for civilians.
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