Ukraine meets winter better prepared than last year — PM

Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi announced on September 27 that the country is entering winter better prepared than in the previous year. Despite Russia's stockpiling of missiles and drone jet aircraft, Ukraine's resilience plans were remarkably ambitious, which enabled substantial strengthening of the energy system even without full completion.

Prime Minister Koretskyi highlighted the significant contributions from regional military administrations, municipal leaders, state-owned businesses, and relevant ministries. This year, Ukraine expanded power generation capacity and equipped more critical civilian facilities with backup power units. Enhanced physical protection measures and larger strategic reserves of equipment and spare parts are in place.

Additionally, there are more emergency repair crews and specialized machinery. However, Prime Minister Koretskyi warned that Russia has also improved its aerial tactics and offensive assets, including Shahed drones and a large stockpile of ballistic and cruise missiles intended for winter use. Despite the challenges, Ukraine has formally requested European partners to deploy municipal emergency services to support Ukrainian first responders.

Intelligence sources revealed that Russia has detailed operational plans for winter strikes, targeting critical infrastructure in major cities like Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed hope that the war could be concluded before winter during a meeting with US President Donald Trump. Zelenskyy also warned that Russia will face severe consequences if Ukraine's energy grid is attacked, following warnings from UN Development Programme Administrator Alexander De Croo about this being the hardest winter Ukraine has faced since 2022.