UKRAINE said today it cannot produce enough electricity to meet growing demand for heating, and has turned to neighbouring European Union countries for help amid fears of Russian strikes on production facilities.

Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure last winter left millions in the cold and dark.

“Electricity consumption is continuing to grow, and there is a deficit in the energy system,” grid operator Ukrenergo said today on social media.

Ukrenego said it had appealed yesterday to operators in Romania, Slovakia and Poland to provide “emergency assistance” to bolster supplies.

Kyiv has been asking Western countries to bolster its air defence systems in case Russia restarts systematic strikes on energy facilities, as it did last winter.

“The situation remains difficult. Repairs are underway at several blocks of thermal power plants, and there is a shortage of electricity in the power system,” Ukrenergo said.

It said energy consumption increased recently due to falling temperatures, putting additional burden on production facilities in need of maintenance and repair.

Ukrenergo said 409 settlements in the country were without electricity because of Russia’s invasion and “other reasons”.

It said the disruptions were in the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson. – AFP, November 23, 2023.