The Energy Crisis and the City’s Responsibility: Zelenskyy Convened a Conference Call and Criticized Kyiv’s Preparedness
15 January 20:57
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a special teleconference on energy issues with representatives of the government, regional, and local authorities amid a difficult situation in the power grid and a sharp drop in temperatures. According to him, the most serious problems are currently being reported in the capital.
The head of state announced this on Telegram, as reported by "Komersant Ukrainian".
Zelenskyy stated that the situation in Kyiv is “particularly difficult,” and that, in his assessment, city authorities failed to use the time available to prepare adequately.
“Time has been wasted by city authorities, and now the government will have to rectify what was not done at the city level,” the president emphasized.
He announced that a permanent command center has already been established for the capital, and its work will be coordinated at the government level. City authorities are expected to cooperate fully.
Curfew and warming centers
The president announced decisions regarding a curfew—given the extremely cold weather, sufficient exemptions are planned so that people and businesses have the necessary opportunities to operate.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has been tasked with reviewing and expanding the network of support and warming centers in cities. Separately, Zelenskyy emphasized that Kyiv’s support centers currently need to be strengthened.
Electricity imports and equipment connections
The head of state stated that the government must adopt a decision today to simplify and increase electricity imports—for both state-owned companies and the private sector. He also expects an immediate simplification of regulations for connecting additional equipment to the grid.
During the conference call, the situation in several regions was discussed. Zelenskyy thanked the Kharkiv authorities for what he described as a responsible approach to organizing the energy sector’s operations under emergency conditions.
Requests from the Dnipropetrovsk region—specifically Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and other communities in the region—are also being addressed. The government will pay special attention to the Chernihiv region. The president described the situation in the Sumy region as challenging.
They separately discussed problems in the Boryspil and Brovary districts of Kyiv Oblast. By evening, Zelenskyy expects reports on the implementation of the decisions made.
Protection of Energy Facilities
The president announced a separate meeting with the defense minister and the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force. The discussion will focus on the protection of energy facilities and additional requests to international partners regarding the strengthening of air defense.
On January 14, Zelenskyy announced the introduction of a state of emergency in the energy sector and the creation of a permanent headquarters to coordinate efforts in Kyiv. At the time, he stated that “very little” had been done in the capital to prepare for a crisis scenario.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko responded by noting that city authorities and services are doing everything possible to ensure the city’s vital functions. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated that Kyiv was significantly less prepared for massive strikes on energy facilities than Kharkiv.
On January 15, the capital’s headquarters for dealing with the aftermath of the shelling was already considering the issue of a curfew and the operation of “Points of Resilience.”
