Zelenskyy says Kyiv faces critical power, heating outages

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the situation in Kyiv remains critical following the latest Russian strike, with nearly 60% of the city without electricity and around 30% without heating.

Speaking on Wednesday after a briefing on energy issues, Zelenskyy said about 4,000 residential buildings — roughly one-third of the total — remain without heating amid sub-zero temperatures.

"According to reports from the city authorities, the available forces are sufficient, but restoring services will take time. I disagree with this assessment — additional measures and additional resource mobilization are needed," the president said.

Zelenskyy added that the situation is similarly difficult in Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region, as well as in the Chernihiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

The president instructed the prime minister and the minister of defense to verify information regarding the reservation status of employees of energy and utility companies. He stressed that companies involved in repairing damage from the strikes should have 100% of their personnel reserved.

"The lack of an effective response on the ground should not be blamed on a shortage of personnel — cities have the resources to mobilize people for this work," Zelenskyy said.

He also said he expects a separate government report on support programs for Ukrainians affected by emergency situations and plans to hold talks with international partners on additional assistance, including air defense missiles and equipment for the energy sector.

• Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that hundreds of thousands of residents have left the capital following a series of massive Russian strikes on the city’s critical infrastructure. According to him, Kyiv has been hit four times in recent weeks — once in late December and three times in January.