Kyiv’s heating system scrambled together from devastated infrastructure, expert warns

Ukraine’s energy sector is enduring its most grueling period yet, compounded by relentless russian attacks and plunging winter temperatures.

Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Energy Industry Research Center, described the dire situation during an appearance at Media Center Ukraine.

“From January 9 through the end of this cold snap, we’re facing the toughest stretch, especially in Kyiv,” he said. “We’ll make it through, but right now there’s effectively no power generation inside the city, which puts enormous strain on the electricity transmission networks. The capital is also grappling with a critical breakdown in heat supply. I’m really hoping that ongoing restoration efforts will manage to get heating back online for currently unheated homes by early February. But right now, everything is being pieced together from the ruins.”

Kharchenko highlighted another major challenge ahead: reconnecting buildings to the heating network. The communications infrastructure, he noted, is already heavily worn and has suffered from prolonged neglect and inadequate maintenance.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news