Ukrainian premier says upcoming winter to be his country’s main challenge

MOSCOW, September 12. /TASS/. Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergey Koretsky said the upcoming winter will be his country’s main challenge.

"Undoubtedly, winter is the main challenge. And we all are getting ready for it," the RBC Ukraine news agency quoted him as saying.

Last winter Ukraine experienced widespread power and heating outages. Blackouts lasted 12 to 16 hours, while heating was unavailable for several days in parts of Kiev and other cities. The country’s authorities admit that the forthcoming cold season may be even more difficult. The Ukrenergo power grid operator warned that the effort to repair damaged energy facilities is still ongoing, while lawmaker Alexey Kucherenko, who is the first deputy chair of the parliament’s committee on energy and utilities, advised Ukrainians to stock on water and firewood in the run-up to the winter season.