Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday the official start of the country’s heating season, marking the annual activation of heating systems across Ukrainian cities. However, despite the declaration, only a limited number of regions have managed to begin supplying heat due to ongoing energy shortages and extensive damage to gas infrastructure caused by Russian strikes.
During a press briefing, Zelensky acknowledged that only 70% of the funds required to secure gas imports for the winter had been raised. Once largely energy independent, Ukraine now relies heavily on imported gas to meet domestic demand amid war-related disruptions.
Government data indicates that just 40% of social institutions, including hospitals and schools, currently have heating. Several eastern regions—among them Kharkov, Dnipropetrovsk, and Nikolaev—have postponed the start of their heating season due to supply shortages and damaged energy networks.
Authorities have also shortened the heating season, which will now end on March 31, in an effort to conserve limited resources and mitigate potential shortfalls later in the winter. The decision underscores growing concerns over whether Ukraine’s energy sector can sustain operations during the coldest months.
In October alone, officials reported that approximately 60% of Ukraine’s gas production capacity had been severely damaged, reducing national output to less than one-third of prewar levels. Previously, Ukraine compensated for any production gaps through Russian pipeline gas transiting to Europe, but those flows were halted in January, deepening the crisis.
Over the past year, Ukraine has conducted drone strikes on Russian oil refineries as part of what it calls an “energy war.” In response, Russia has intensified its own attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, launching large-scale strikes on power plants and gas facilities.
While Russia has targeted Ukraine’s electricity grid since late 2022, sustained strikes on gas infrastructure began only recently. These attacks have left many urban centers without heat or electricity for days at a time, forcing Ukraine—once an electricity exporter—to rely increasingly on imported power to sustain its grid.