PM Orders Emergency Diesel Delivery to Blackout-Struck Konotop

Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi has ordered the Ministry of Energy and the state transmission operator Ukrenergo to restore power in Konotop, a city in Sumy Oblast that has been without electricity for five days. The directive calls for an urgent investigation into the grid failure and the fastest possible restoration of service to residents.

The blackout began following Russian strikes on energy infrastructure during the night of October 23 and 24. According to Mayor Artem Semenikhin, the attacks damaged several key facilities, which complicated repair efforts and restricted the availability of backup power for consumers. Repair work on the damaged infrastructure is currently underway.

Koretskyi stated that critical infrastructure in the city is currently running on backup systems. He also noted the deployment of Invincibility centres, which serve as heated shelters stocked with food and power banks to assist residents during the outage.

To maintain essential services, the government will deliver a stock of diesel fuel to Konotop on October 28. This fuel is designated for the operation of boiler houses and water utilities. Koretskyi confirmed that the delivery is intended to ensure these critical systems continue functioning while the main grid is repaired.

The city had been without power for four days as of October 27, with no official forecast available for when service would resume. The delivery of diesel fuel addresses the immediate operational needs of the water and heating sectors in the interim.