“Get ready, find a place to winter”: Expert scares Ukrainians about heating season

Head of the Union of Utility Service Consumers Oleh Popenko, alarmed Ukrainians with his advice for city residents — to find a place to spend the winter.

He made the comments on Novyny.LIVE.

In his view, this winter could be very difficult for Ukraine.

“Right now, we don’t have enough gas. Even the volume discussed by the Ministry of Energy and Naftogaz is insufficient. They said we need 13.2 billion cubic meters. By my calculations, we can currently gather only 12.5 billion cubic meters. But again, to put it in perspective: 13.2 billion cubic meters, the figure named by the authorities, was exactly what we had last year on November 1. That amount lasted until February 1. After that, we had to buy gas at $600–$800 per unit,” explained Popenko.

Therefore, he advises Ukrainians living in cities to consider where they might spend the winter.

“Please prepare for the heating season. The situation is difficult not only in terms of energy supply but also gas. The Russians have already destroyed entire gas infrastructure nodes. People, get ready. Find a place to move to in case of very low temperatures or serious shelling. If you’re lucky, western Ukraine may hold up after attacks and still have gas and electricity. But the rest should think about where to relocate. Even in central Ukraine, many cities could be left without heat if temperatures drop significantly,” said Popenko.

He explained what this would mean:

“Gas supply will be limited. What does low temperature mean? Indoors, it could be 12–14°C. If it’s minus 10 outside, indoor temperatures can drop to zero, even 5°C,” the expert said.

Popenko emphasizes that in large cities, decentralized heating is impossible.

“You have to understand that Kyiv is a huge city. Decentralizing heating there is physically impossible,” he adds.