Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged residents of Ukraine to ration their use of electricity as the country works to repair infrastructure destroyed by Russia, The Wall Street Journal reports. The energy shortage comes as Russia targets critical energy facilities across the country, depriving Ukrainians of power.
Russia's "special military operation" using missiles and Iranian-made kamikaze drones entered its tenth day and has destroyed about a third of Ukraine's power stations, Reuters reports. Experts have posited that the tactic aims to bring Ukraine into negotiations despite Russia's poor military performance.
Zelensky said he is meeting officials on Thursday to accelerate the repair of these facilities, however, efforts could take months, reports The Washington Post. In the meantime, he implemented a strict energy-saving regime restricting power supply on Thursday between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., Reuters continues. He also encouraged Ukrainians to limit electricity consumption between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. as those are peak hours of usage.
The real problem is the incoming cold weather where the demand for power is much higher. Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the head of Ukraine's electric transmission company, Ukrenergo said that the "heating season will be very difficult," in a television interview.
Despite the incoming hardships, Ukrainians are prepared to endure. Mikhaylo Holovnenko, a Kyiv resident, told Reuters "we are ready for outages. We have candles, charged power banks. Ukraine is charged to win."