Former Ukraine Infrastructure Chief: Only Hope Is a Warm Winter and Inaccurate Russian Strikes

Ukraine is preparing for what officials describe as the hardest winter in the country's history. Serhiy Sukhomlynov, who resigned as head of the State Agency for Reconstruction and Development of Infrastructure in the summer before his dismissal was confirmed in September, gave Ukrainska Pravda an extensive interview on energy preparedness.

Background

Before his government post, Sukhomlynov was twice elected mayor of Zhytomyr, where he installed gas-piston power plants and solar panels, giving residents lower tariffs and minimal blackouts. At the agency, he championed energy decentralization in large cities and publicly criticized the restoration of Kyiv's combined heat-and-power plants TEC-5 and TEC-6.

What Was Built

Under his leadership the agency approved 16 standard protective projects for critical energy infrastructure. Construction of over 120 such facilities began in November and reached 95% completion by April. The remaining 5% was not finished because conditions in some districts of Donetsk and Kherson regions deteriorated, and protection level was downgraded to a minimum viable standard.

Kyiv as the Weakest Link

Sukhomlynov warned that Kyiv remains the least prepared major city. The capital's dependence on centralized heat and power generation makes it especially vulnerable to simultaneous loss of electricity, heat and water. He criticized the decision to restore the large Kyiv CHPs rather than investing in distributed generation capacity.

The Government Stopped Funding

The Cabinet of Ministers halted funding for capital construction of new protective facilities this year. Sukhomlynov said this decision leaves Ukrainian cities exposed in ways that the protective installations built last year cannot fully compensate.

Asked about the outlook for the coming months, he replied: One can only hope for a warm winter and inaccuracy of Russian strikes — an acknowledgment that technical and organizational measures have reached their current limits.