The Cabinet of Ministers denied reports that a state of emergency had been declared in the energy sector

The Cabinet of Ministers denied reports of the alleged imposition of a state of emergency in the energy and heating sectors. The government emphasized that no new restrictions have been imposed on the public. As explained by the Department of Information and Public Communications of the Cabinet Secretariat, the decision concerns the organization of efforts to address the consequences of Russian attacks on critical infrastructure. Now, specific officials will be responsible for individual areas of recovery, and their actions will be coordinated within a joint headquarters. “This is an organizational decision: it defines who is responsible for recovery and how actions are coordinated. It does not impose any new restrictions on the public,” the government stated.

They also clarified that the changes do not mean the declaration of a state of emergency. The goal is to coordinate the work of government agencies involved in rebuilding infrastructure following Russian strikes.

What areas will the joint headquarters cover?

On October 16, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Resolution No. 1292, which expanded the scope of the headquarters for addressing emergencies in the energy sector. Its responsibilities now include heat supply, water supply, wastewater disposal, transportation, and electronic communications networks.

As a result, a joint headquarters was established to coordinate the response to national-level emergencies caused by war or man-made accidents. Its work will cover several areas of critical infrastructure:

• Electric power sector—restoring the operation of power systems after damage.

• Heating and water supply—restoring the supply of heat and water, as well as the operation of wastewater systems.

• Engineering and transportation infrastructure—addressing the consequences of damage to relevant facilities.

• Electronic communications networks—restoring communications and broadband Internet access infrastructure.

• Data centers—ensuring the operation of the infrastructure necessary for processing and storing information.

This coordination should help various agencies coordinate their actions more quickly. After all, following attacks on critical infrastructure, problems can arise simultaneously in several areas: for example, damage to energy facilities can affect water and heat supply as well as communications.

Who Will Be Responsible for Recovery

The Emergency Response Headquarters for the Energy Sector is headed by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal. Following an expansion of his authority, he will become one of the co-chairs of the joint headquarters and will coordinate efforts in the electricity sector.

Two additional co-chairs have been appointed for other sectors. The project manager assigned to each sector will be responsible for restoring heating, water supply, wastewater disposal, and engineering and transportation infrastructure. A project manager in the field of digital infrastructure will be responsible for electronic communications networks, broadband Internet access infrastructure, and data centers.

Thus, the government has reorganized the restoration of critical infrastructure to more clearly allocate responsibilities among officials. At the same time, the Cabinet of Ministers emphasizes that this decision does not mean the declaration of a state of emergency and does not entail new restrictions for consumers. This was reported by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

On the morning of October 19, 2026, power outages occurred in certain regions of Ukraine as a result of a massive Russian attack on the energy infrastructure. Water supplies were also cut off in some communities.