The key facts

  • Zelensky called the situation with the lack of electricity and water in Kyiv the worst and linked it to failure to implement decisions at the city level
  • Klitschko: the city needs 2 GW, generators cannot fully replace the central power supply
  • The Russian Defense Ministry reported strikes on energy facilities in Bila Tserkva and on a vessel in the port of Odesa

Zelensky blamed the city authorities

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the situation with the prolonged lack of electricity and water in Kyiv the worst in his Telegram channel. According to him, the challenges are very serious, and their consequences are the result of failure to implement decisions at the city level on preparation for the heating season, as well as strikes on energy facilities. This was reported by Gazeta.Ru.

Klitschko: generators will not replace the power supply

On November 6, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated, that the city will not be able to provide itself with electricity using generators alone. According to him, many consider them a panacea capable of replacing the central power supply, but Kyiv needs 2 GW of electricity, and it is impossible to fully cover such demand with generators.

Strikes on the energy sector and the port of Odesa

Russian troops continued to carry out drone strikes on Ukraine's energy facilities and on sea vessels used in the interests of the Ukrainian army. As specified by the Russian Defense Ministry, as a result of the strikes in Bila Tserkva, Kyiv region, a battery park that supplied electricity to military-industrial facilities was destroyed. In addition, in the port of Odesa, a strike was carried out on a dry cargo ship delivering dual-use goods to Ukraine.

Context

Earlier, an expert predicted power outages in Ukraine of up to 20 hours a day. Zelensky's statement and Klitschko's position show that responsibility for preparing the city for winter has become a subject of dispute between the president and the city authorities: the president points to unpreparedness at the city level, while the mayor points to the physical impossibility of compensating for the deficit with generators.