Zelensky says Russian strikes damaged Ukraine's power grid as Kyiv winter preparations draw criticism

Damage to the power grid

Zelensky wrote on social media on Friday that power grids and electricity transmission facilities had suffered considerable damage. Authorities were forced to cut power and impose restrictions in several regions after Russian attacks on energy infrastructure in recent days. Repairs are continuing day and night, according to the president.

Unfortunately, power grids and electricity transmission facilities have suffered considerable damage. Repair work continues day and night.

Zelensky also said Ukraine would send its partners updated requests for 'energy equipment' and 'air defence'. Ukraine is short of American Patriot systems, particularly the interceptor missiles those systems need to down Russian ballistic missiles.

Criticism of local authorities

Zelensky singled out delays by local authorities in putting regional 'resilience plans' into practice, which are meant to keep essential infrastructure running. He placed personal responsibility on the Ministry of Infrastructure and on regional administrations.

The slowness of these works is absolutely unacceptable, and those responsible in the Ministry of Infrastructure, as well as regional administrations, bear personal responsibility.

He then turned to Kyiv, criticizing the city administration led by Vitali Klitschko, with whom he is in conflict, and saying its authorities had almost entirely failed to take the necessary measures. Zelensky also asked officials to prepare by the end of the week a package of solutions for Priluky in Chernihiv region, reflecting problems raised by residents there.

Kyiv's winter preparations

Klitschko told AFP on Thursday that the city is installing emergency heating systems and building reserves of fuel, food and drinking water in case of prolonged disruptions in winter. The attacks have already caused power cuts and affected the water supply, and Klitschko described the city as living in a 'survival' mode while it waits for winter. He defended the measures taken by the capital's administration.

No matter how well we prepare, if air defence does not work, we could find ourselves facing a bad scenario.

Economic strain and the 2027 budget

A Carnegie analysis says the mining units of ArcelorMittal in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine's industrial centre, are inactive, and other large plants operate at a fraction of their pre-war capacity. Last month ArcelorMittal said that repeated missile attacks on its plant meant it could not safely resume operations at the steelworks. Falling tax revenue is forcing the city to cut spending, and next year the priority will be keeping basic services running.

Ukraine's draft 2027 budget allocates $104bn to security and defence, equal to 43.8% of forecast GDP and about two-thirds of total spending. Deputy Finance Minister Roman Iermolichev said the Defence Ministry will need $175bn in 2027, compared with $155bn this year. Ukraine projects a budget deficit of 15% of GDP and needs $78.1bn in external financing in 2027. Russia plans to allocate $203bn to defence in 2027, a record since the start of the full-scale invasion.

A reported Russian plan against the grid

Radio Svoboda journalists obtained a Russian-language document, dated August and published by The New York Times, that details 60 strategic targets in Ukraine. According to the investigation, the first stage would hit substations in western Ukraine through which the country imports electricity from Europe. Hydroelectric plants would follow, then three of the most important nuclear plants under Ukrainian control. The cities listed as priorities include Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Kherson and Lviv.

The document's authenticity has not been officially confirmed, but sources in Ukraine's Defence Forces said it appears to be a preparatory calculation by Russia's Defence Ministry or its subordinate units.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the government is preparing for an 'extremely difficult' winter. He confirmed on 1 September 2026 that Russia had already resumed attacks on energy infrastructure, and power outages have been recorded in nine regions, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. Oleg Popenko, head of Ukraine's Utility Consumers' Union, told the Current Time network that the efforts focus mainly on protecting substations and securing backup power for them.

Much is being done, but in my opinion it is not enough to protect our facilities.

The Ukrainian army said it struck three missile production facilities inside Russia overnight, including a plant in Tver region that makes missile components and a centre that dismantles intercontinental ballistic missiles.