Ukraine reinstates power restrictions amid summer heat

KIEV

Ukraine reinstated power restrictions as growing temperatures put stress on the energy system already made fragile by Russian strikes, state-run electricity operator Ukrenergo said on Monday.

Moscow this spring resumed its attacks on power stations, knocking out half of the country's generation capacity and triggering heavy outages until late July.

Repairs on some power stations and lighter temperature had improved the energy situation in the country, officials said, until the heatwave returned.

"Electricity consumption continues to grow," Ukrenergo said on Telegram, adding the rise was "due to the heatwave spreading to most regions of Ukraine."

"Due to the growing capacity deficit in the power system, today from 17:00 to 21:00, consumption restrictions will be applied," it said.

Critical infrastructure and some enterprises will be exempted, it added.

Ukraine has relied on electricity imports from its neighboring EU countries to fill a gap in generation caused by the Russian attacks.

Prime Minister Denys Shmygal had said late last month the situation in the energy sector "has stabilized" due to the early completion of repairs at two units of nuclear power plants and a drop in air temperature.

Ukraine is continuing "to prepare for the autumn and winter period and develop alternative generation sources," according to Shmygal.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said yesterday it "will not talk" to Ukraine given its incursion into Russia's Kursk region, which has now stretched into its second week and taken Moscow by surprise.

"At the current stage, given this escapade, we will not talk," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told the Russian Shot Telegram channel, adding that "at the moment it would be completely inappropriate to enter into a negotiating process."

Kiev sent troops and armored vehicles across the border on Aug. 6, its biggest attack on Russian territory since the Kremlin launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 18 the military incursion aims to create a buffer zone to prevent further attacks by Moscow across the border.

It was the first time Zelensky clearly stated the aim of the operation that began Aug. 6. Previously, he had said the operation aimed to protect communities in the bordering Sumy region from constant shelling.

Zelensky said “it is now our primary task in defensive operations overall: to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible and conduct maximum counteroffensive actions. This includes creating a buffer zone on the aggressor’s territory, our operation in the Kursk region,” he said in his nightly address.

Over the weekend, Ukraine destroyed a key bridge in the region and struck a second one nearby, disrupting supply lines as it pressed the incursion, officials said.