Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv remains Putin’s main target and spoke about preparations for a harsh winter

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Kyiv remains one of the main targets of Russian strikes, particularly in the context of attacks on energy infrastructure. As preparations for the new heating season get underway, city and regional authorities must speed up the implementation of resilience plans. Zelenskyy made this statement on 23 August whilst speaking to journalists.

“From the very start of the war, one of Putin’s main targets has been Kyiv. And it is perfectly clear how they will try to target Kyiv’s energy sector,” said the head of state.

According to him, Ukraine is preparing to counter potential attacks on energy facilities in various ways. In particular, special attention is being paid to preparing the capital and other cities for possible disruptions to electricity and heating supplies.

Cities must speed up their preparations

Zelenskyy noted that local authorities across Ukraine are working to implement resilience plans, but the pace of this work is as yet insufficient.

Not everything has been completed, and they need to work faster. I very much hope that in the coming months we will speed up certain processes that have slowed down somewhat in local communities. We are working on this. This applies to the whole country, – the president stated.

Essentially, this involves creating the conditions for towns and cities to function normally even in the event of damage to the energy infrastructure. Among the key tasks are ensuring a backup power supply and ensuring that critical infrastructure facilities are prepared to operate during power cuts.

Ukraine faces a difficult heating season

The government had previously warned that the coming winter could prove more difficult than the previous one due to intensified Russian attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure. The state has already allocated 35 billion hryvnias to implement these resilience plans. The funds are intended to help prepare regions for potential emergencies and power cuts.

Particular attention is being paid to schools and nurseries so that children can continue their education even during shelling and power cuts. According to the authorities, around 19,500 schools and nurseries have already been equipped with generators and other alternative energy sources. A further 220 educational establishments are due to receive the relevant equipment by the end of the year.

In addition, the government has allocated a further 1 billion hryvnias for the construction of shelters in nurseries.