Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was given an inaccurate picture of progress on regional energy resilience plans, according to Serhiy Nahorniak, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Energy Committee.
According to Nahorniak, officials reported to the leadership that the necessary work would be completed by September 1, even though the actual situation showed that such a deadline was unrealistic.
“We partly live in a lie because some people report upward that everything will be fine by September 1, that everything will be built. The president is presented with a picture showing that everything will be ready by September 1. But objectively, they are afraid to tell the truth — that it could not have been ready by September 1 because the actual situation is completely different,” Nahorniak said.
He noted that Zelenskyy later expressed dissatisfaction with the level of implementation of the resilience plans.
According to Nahorniak, realistically, completing at least 50–70% of the planned measures by the end of the year would be a good result.
Ukraine’s comprehensive resilience plans are designed to help regions and major cities withstand Russian attacks on critical infrastructure during the 2026–2027 heating season.
They include measures to strengthen the protection of energy infrastructure, restore facilities damaged by Russian strikes, provide backup power for essential services, maintain fuel reserves and prepare equipment for emergency repairs.
The plans are particularly important ahead of winter, as damage to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure can cause not only power outages but also disruptions to heating and water supplies.
In August, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council said that some cities and regions were behind schedule and ordered the plans to be updated based on what work could realistically be completed before the start of the heating season.
