A third of Ukrainian communities cannot endure even a day of blackouts in winter, - Shuliak

Almost a third of Ukrainian communities and every second large city will not be able to provide even basic critical services for a day this winter in the event of blackouts.

Currently, backup power sources cover on average 67% of critical facilities. Nevertheless, surviving more than 72 hours of autonomous operation across all nine basic services simultaneously is possible for only 4% of communities. The situation is complicated by the fact that 78% of communities lack sufficient fuel stocks. The demand for fuel for generators and boiler houses is the most popular among local authorities and accounts for 48% of all needs. "Therefore, first of all it is necessary to conduct an audit of the capacity of existing generators against the real load of facilities, implement load-shedding protocols, and separately focus on water utilities and pumping stations," noted Shuliak. How to solve the fuel problem To avert the crisis, it is proposed to pre-create regional fuel reserves with clear supply priorities. Fuel should primarily go to hospitals, water utilities, and school boiler houses. Shuliak also recommends concluding memoranda with local fuel companies to fix volumes, prices, and delivery conditions during blackouts. "Such memoranda can specify where and to which communities fuel should be delivered in a blackout, at what price and under what terms, and companies will understand their role in a crisis in advance," the committee chair said. Some of the fuel storage tanks can be provided by donors, and small rural communities can unite their stocks under the coordination of regional military administrations. The lack of records for vulnerable residents The survey also found that 34% of communities do not know the exact number of vulnerable residents they will not be able to support on their own. The main reason is the absence of a single local register of such people. "Such a registry should be tied to a specific action plan: who and by what transport will carry out evacuation, who will verify people's needs, who will supply water or medicines," noted Shuliak. These data were shown by the survey "Community readiness for winter 2026/27," conducted from 1 to 11 September by the analytical center We Build Ukraine. Shuliak stated that anonymously 145 communities from 24 Ukrainian oblasts and Kyiv participated in the survey. The largest share of respondents were communities from the country’s center (46%), frontline territories (32%), and western regions (22%).

As a reminder, President Volodymyr Zelensky recently stated that Ukraine is prepared to respond symmetrically to Russian strikes on the energy system this winter. At the same time, he noted that he continues to offer a step-by-step negotiating path to end the war.