KYIV: Ukrainian officials on Tuesday pointed to a much improved situation in the energy industry following waves of relentless Russian attacks that caused major power cuts across the country.
Several regions have faced regular blackouts and forced energy rationing since Russia invaded in February 2022, as Moscow has targeted missile and drone strikes at the war-torn country’s power stations.
“Due to the early completion of repairs at two units of nuclear power plants and a drop in air temperature, the situation in the energy sector has stabilized,” Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said Tuesday.
State-run electricity operator Ukrenergo said July 30 was the first day of the month with no power cuts.
“If there is no more shelling, it will be possible to manage with minimal restrictions or no power outages at all in the next three months,” said Yuriy Boyko, an adviser to Shmygal who sits on Ukrenergo’s supervisory board.
Ukraine has relied on electricity imports from its neighboring EU countries to fill a gap in generation caused by the Russian attacks.
It has also introduced rolling regional blackouts and asked businesses and consumers to limit consumption at peak hours.
Shmygal said Ukraine was continuing “to prepare for the autumn and winter period and develop alternative generation sources.”
Ukraine sees improving energy situation
https://arab.news/zrq7u
Ukraine sees improving energy situation
- Several regions have faced regular blackouts and forced energy rationing
- State-run electricity operator Ukrenergo said July 30 was the first day of the month with no power cuts
UN peacekeepers defy South Sudan military’s order to leave opposition-held town
JUBA, South Sudan: The United Nations Mission in South Sudan said Monday that it would not comply with a government order to shut down its base in Akobo, an opposition stronghold near the Ethiopian border where tens of thousands of refugees have fled.
On Friday, the South Sudanese army ordered UN peacekeepers as well as NGOs and civilians to vacate the town ahead of a planned assault.
But the mission refused to leave and said it would provide “a protective presence for civilians” in the town, adding that the safety and security of its personnel “must be fully respected at all times.”
The UN Mission said it was engaging “intensively with national, state and local stakeholders” regarding this order. “Any military operations in and around Akobo gravely endanger the safety and security of civilians,” said mission chief Anita Kiki Gbeho.
The South Sudanese government has been fighting opposition forces since a 2018 peace deal broke down about a year ago.
A dramatic escalation took place in December 2025, when opposition forces seized several government outposts in northern Jonglei. A government counter-offensive repelled their forces a month later and displaced over 280,000 people. Tens of thousands have sought refuge in Akobo, where a small contingent of UN peacekeepers is stationed.
Fearing the looming government assault on Akobo, humanitarian workers were evacuated over the weekend, and a mass exodus of the population has also begun.
Local officials contacted by the The Associated Press said fleeing civilians faced danger and widespread shortages of essential supplies. Dual Diew, the Akobo County health director, who has fled to Ethiopia, said there were 84 wounded patients at the hospital. “We have most of them with us here now,” he said, adding that they lack medicine and basic nursing equipment.
Christophe Garnier, the leader of Doctors Without Borders in South Sudan said the organization had to evacuate its staff from Akobo on Saturday and learned of the subsequent looting of its hospital and the ransacking of its office.
“People in Akobo must now either flee without protection or remain at risk of being killed, while losing access to health care and other essential services,” he said.
The three Western governments that have played a major role in the peace process — the U.S, UK, and Norway — sent a letter to President Kiir on Monday urging that the army’s evacuation order be revoked and warning of “further deaths, displacement and suffering for the South Sudanese people” if the offensive on Akobo is implemented.
