More than one million people in Ukraine have been left without electricity and water after Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure.
Hadja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, visited Ukraine to reaffirm what the EU described as long-term support, the European External Action Service (EEAS) announced on Friday.
“When a family cannot heat their home or a hospital loses power, this is not collateral damage, it is a direct attack on civilians,” Lahbib said, adding: “Europe will continue to stand with you to keep the lights on and hope alive.”
Lahbib met Ukrainian authorities including Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, as well as officials from the President’s Office, the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Development, with talks focused on humanitarian assistance and protecting critical infrastructure such as power networks and other essential services.
The commissioner also visited energy facilities that supply electricity to more than 500,000 people and have been heavily affected by attacks, leaving large parts of the population exposed during winter.
Aid deliveries and emergency generators
Lahbib visited EU-supported health and social care institutions, and met staff and beneficiaries to discuss ongoing needs and support for health services and emergency response.
She also visited EU-supported centres in Kyiv offering heating, medical assistance and hot meals for families affected by the energy crisis.
The EU and its member states have provided €193.7 billion in total support so far.
It said the EU had delivered more than 157,000 tonnes of aid, including over 11,200 power generators and more than 7,200 transformers — equipment used to generate electricity and step voltages up or down for transmission and local distribution.
Almost 1,000 generators were deployed in January alone from the EU’s strategic emergency reserve.
