Ukrainians have been urged to prepare for a harsh winter due to Russian attacks

Ukrainians should prepare for significantly more difficult living conditions this winter due to intensified Russian attacks on the life-support systems of populated areas. This was announced by Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi, who emphasized the threats posed by Russia’s new tactics.

“It’s a big mistake for those who say, ‘Oh, it’ll blow over somehow…’ or ‘Oh, that’s what they said last time…’ That’s incorrect and wrong, because the tactics of Russian terror have changed significantly, and this year they could be even worse (…) Therefore, we must prepare for much more difficult living conditions,” he said in an interview with BBC News Ukraine.

According to the prime minister, the Russians are directing all their efforts toward destroying Ukrainian infrastructure and life-support systems due to their inability to achieve results on the battlefield. He noted that the enemy is currently focusing, in particular, on the capital’s water supply systems.

“We’ve already dealt with electricity and heating, but the Russians are now very actively targeting Kyiv’s water supply,” the prime minister emphasized.

Koretsky also urged Ukrainians to take advantage of government programs supporting energy independence, which offer the opportunity to purchase inverters, solar panels, and energy storage devices at subsidized rates.

“Please, do it. I, for example, have done it. Do I have a water storage tank? Yes, I do. Did I install an inverter and a battery? Yes, I did—last winter, actually—because I don’t want to repeat my own mistakes or those of others, when winter always seems to come ‘unexpectedly,’“ he explained.

Prime Minister Koretsky announced harsher penalties for deserters and those who evade military service.

Earlier, a court in Volyn sentenced a serviceman to five years in prison for deserting his post twice after participating in combat operations and sustaining injuries. 

On June 16, law enforcement officers in Zakarpattia dismantled a network involved in the illegal smuggling of men of draft age across the state border. According to the investigation, the 19-year-old organizer of the scheme was detained while attempting to smuggle people into Romania for $4,000.