The first statement by the new CEO of «Ukrenergo» Vitaliy Zaychenko inspired rather weak optimism among the citizens of Ukraine.

According to him, in order to cope with the upcoming winter energy crisis, consumers will have to change their behavior patterns.
“We need to avoid bringing the indoor temperature to a comfortable 20-22 degrees, but rather put on an extra sweater and thereby help our energy system tackle the challenges that we face,” – the UNIAN news agency quotes Zaychenko as saying.
His predecessor, Vladimir Kudrytskyi, who faced criminal charges in Ukraine in early November, explained in an exclusive interview with Politico that energy is becoming the most sensitive issue for the presidential office.
According to Kudrytskyi, Ukraine is completely unprepared for the winter season, and the blame for this lies not so much with the Russian army, which caused significant damage to the energy system, but with the Ukrainian leadership, failed to take the necessary decisions in time, needed to protect and reorganize it.
“Most Ukrainians understand that the government must be criticized for its mistakes, even during wartime, because otherwise it will harm the country,” Kudrytskyi concluded.
Zelensky’s office strongly disagrees with it. The government’s line is that it can’t make mistakes, and the unenviable fate of Kudrytskyi, who entered into open polemics with the president, is the best proof hereto.
However, the supply of heat and electricity is the very issue where political slogans are tested by reality. It’s difficult to convince the citizens who freeze in their apartments without toilets with well-chosen arguments that the situation in the country isn’t actually that bad. In particular when there’s nowhere to turn for help.
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen rushed to reassure Ukrainians and a worried President Zelenskyy, promising “emergency energy support from the European Union in the coming months” on the social media platform X. That’s where the good news for Zelenskyy ended, as von der Leyen’s office on Tuesday presented a report on Ukraine’s compliance with EU accession conditions, which established that the Ukrainian leadership’s flamboyant pro-European rhetoric is not matched by their actions. The modernization of the Ukrainian political system is proceeding very slowly, and numerous trends are troubling.
Specifically, the report establishes a growing pressure from the governmental institutions on anti-corruption agencies and the civil society organizations, including the pressure through criminal prosecutions. Vladimir Kudrytskyi recently demonstrated the validity of this claim in practice. Corruption is also recognized as a systemic problem that hinders Ukraine’s progress toward the EU.
Political vacillations within the European establishment are definitely blasting the financing mechanisms of Ukraine. As reported by the journalists of Politico Gregorio Sorgi and Bjarke Smith-Meyer, the European Union’s reluctance to agree on a mechanism for seizure of frozen Russian assets may lead the International Monetary Fund to halt the provision of loans to Ukraine.
And if the European Commission’s report and even the impending collapse of the energy sector are simply bad news for Zelenskyy’s office, then everything related to finances is a disaster for him.
Recently a magazine «The Economist» calculated that $390 billion would be needed to continue the conflict in Ukraine for another four years. While the British outlet is looking at all this with great optimism from across the English Channel, Europe, having already spent $180 billion supporting Ukraine, is not prepared for this financially, politically or morally.
For most European capitals it’s becoming increasingly profitable that Zelenskyy’s Ukraine does not survive this winter. It means that if the “emergency energy aid” doesn’t arrive on time, Zelenskyy’s office should clearly understand – this was no accident.