Ukraine: prime minister says the country enters this winter better prepared than last year

Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said on September 27, in an interview with the national telethon ‘United News,’ that the country is entering this winter better prepared than last year, as The Kyiv Independent reports. According to him, work done over the past year has strengthened the protection of critical facilities and rapid-response capacities in case of attacks on energy infrastructure.

“More critical facilities now have additional backup power, key elements of infrastructure have greater protection, and we have stockpiled more reserve equipment and spare parts, increasing the number of repair crews and machinery,” Koretskyi is quoted as saying. The prime minister attributed the progress to resilience planning, as well as the work of military administrations, local authorities, state companies and ministries.

However, according to The Kyiv Independent, he warned that Russia has also strengthened its own strike capabilities, stockpiling jet-engine drones and missiles. Ukraine continues to face major vulnerabilities: unrepaired energy infrastructure, pressure on air-defense reserves, budget constraints and Moscow’s expanding use of faster drones.

The €5.4 billion ($6.2 billion) energy resilience plan is still not fully funded. The Ukrainian government has allocated state funds for the first projects but has sought international support for the rest. In July, President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the energy sector to speed up winter preparations, assessing that it was falling behind.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom announced this month a £100 million ($135 million) package for Ukraine’s air defense, including interceptors and drones to protect energy infrastructure.