Newsweek: Ukraine's energy system may not outlast until the end of this year

This is reported by the American magazine Newsweek with reference to the forecast of the representative of the charitable organization "Mercy Corps", working today in Ukraine, Michael Young.

According to him, power cuts on the territory of Ukraine can last not for hours and days, but for whole weeks. At the same time, many cities will become “uninhabitable” within four months due to low temperatures. Millions of people will be plunged into a humanitarian crisis this winter, Yang warned.

In its eighth missile strike in eight weeks, Russia struck Ukraine's critical infrastructure last Monday, causing power outages. The country's authorities said that half of the Kyiv region will be left without electricity in the coming days. Several more missiles hit critical infrastructure near the city of Zaporozhye on Monday night, officials said.

Michael Young also warned that power outages not only condemn millions of people to unbearable cold, but also have other and very significant side effects. In particular, this is a shutdown of industrial facilities, which inevitably entails an increase in unemployment.

Businesses running on generators during partial blackouts will also have to raise prices to cover their costs, adding to the burden on people trying to feed themselves.

The publication also notes that Mercy Corps has a cash aid program that relies heavily on reliable electricity from the banking system so that people can withdraw money.

“Everything is interconnected: the ability of hospitals and clinics to keep working, to refrigerate vaccines, to store medicines. And besides, food storage, supply chains all depend on a reliable power source,” Yang added.

True, such harsh scenarios have not yet been voiced in Ukraine itself.