Zelenskyy holds meeting of Staff: Focus on defense and energy restoration
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (president.gov.ua)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on Monday, October 13. The main topic was the protection and restoration of the energy sector following Russian strikes, according to the President.
"The top priority was the protection and restoration of our energy sector. Reports on repair efforts in the regions affected by Russian strikes were presented. I am grateful to everyone involved and working practically around the clock—often these are truly heroic efforts by our energy workers, repair crews, and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine," Zelenskyy said.
He noted that the most difficult situation is currently in frontline communities and near the border with Russia, where Russian strike drones and missiles have the shortest flight times, and alerts and shelling continue almost constantly.
"Yet despite all of threats, even in these communities, work is ongoing to restore power supply and provide emergency capabilities to support people," Zelenskyy stated.
At the meeting, the restoration of Odesa and its region was also discussed separately. The local officials have made many mistakes.
"Reports were also delivered regarding Kyiv and the region, as well as the Dnipro region. Constant attention is paid to Kharkiv and the region, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and Kherson, and Poltava and the region. For every other region of our country, we have clear data on the necessary equipment, required work, and funding. Specific instructions have been given for each area," Zelenskyy added.
Energy sector attacks
On Monday, October 13, emergency power outages were introduced in several regions of Ukraine due to Russian attacks on energy facilities.
On the night of October 10, Russia launched a massive strike on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. As a result, power outages were recorded in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, Odesa regions, as well as Dnipropetrovsk.
The attack on Kyiv left the left bank of the city without electricity and water, which were only restored in the evening.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned that, according to forecasts, Russian forces could strike Ukraine's energy infrastructure again in the coming days.
