Ukraine will face a difficult heating season. The central government and local governments are trying to solve a whole range of problems, but the scale of destruction is still large.

The destruction of the energy infrastructure can provoke internal migration, as well as the energy autonomy of communities. About this 24 channelssaid energy expert Gennady Ryabtsev.

The scale of the problem

The expert noted that the government does not have the resources to provide all the heat energy because of the war.

The Cabinet of Ministers can do this in those territories where there is no damage or destruction. If we are talking about left-bank Ukraine, then in many areas of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Zaporozhye, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions, it will be very difficult to ensure everything because of the destruction, which not only now, but they can still be, – said Ryabtsev.

According to him, in the current situation, the role of local governments, united territorial communities, their leadership and even individual citizens is growing.

The task for them is to ensure their own energy self-sufficiency and develop “energy democracy”(when every economy, every community and region does not depend on energy supplies from outside and can independently meet their own needs).

“These principles, which are also followed in Europe regarding “energy democracy”, must be adhered to and switched to their implementation. This will be the key to a normal heating season and very good assistance to the Ukrainian government,” the specialist added.

What is the situation on the ground

Ryabtsev stressed that, according to representatives of the CHI, there are a huge number of local communities that have done a lot. They help the unified energy system and the operator of the gas transmission system of Ukraine to go through this season easier and so that there are no complaints on the ground in providing energy and heat.

This is the implementation of many projects to provide backup power sources, switch to local energy sources, save heat energy. Even the communication policy of the government is changing here. This is done because the normal course of the heating season now depends on it both in Ukraine and in each individual household in particular, the observer is convinced.

He said that a large number of recommendations appear on the UkraineNOW platform as individual citizens, and OTG. This, in his opinion, will help in the implementation of the mentioned principles of energy efficiency until 2030.

“This is to use the opportunities that any crisis provides to the maximum. And war is also a crisis,” the analyst explained.

Is there a threat to internal migration

An expert noted that Ukraine is likely to have an internal migration problem during the heating season.

There is such a threat. It is neutralized by the fact that mandatory evacuation is declared from those areas where the government and the local self-government bodies cannot provide the provision of housing and communal services in full. It is connected not only with ensuring the safety of citizens, but also with ensuring their minimum level of well-being,” the observer pointed out.

According to him, the evacuation takes place from certain areas of the Donetsk, Zaporozhye, Kherson and Kharkiv regions, which have recently been de-occupied.

“They are not allowed to return there due to the fact that the minimum volume of services cannot be provided until the end of the year, given the destruction that has been suffered by critical energy infrastructure facilities in these regions,” Ryabtsev concluded.

Is Ukraine ready for the heating season

• Experts predict that this year's winter will be one of the most difficult for Ukrainians. The worst situation with preparations for the heating season is now in the temporarily occupied territories.
• As frosts are approaching, the government recommends that Ukrainians living in the front-line, recently liberated and temporarily occupied territories evacuate to other regions of the country for the winter.
• Residents of the Donetsk region are strongly urged not to neglect the opportunity to spend the winter for free in safer regions of Ukraine. Residents of the de-occupied settlements of the Kherson region are also told to move with their families to neighboring regions for the heating season.
• The government assures that they are doing everything possible to prepare as much as possible for the onset of winter. On September 17, Denis Shmigal announced at a meeting that Ukraine was 80% ready for the heating season.