Konotop gets diesel for heat and water after five-day blackout

Sumy Oblast's city of Konotop has operated without grid electricity for five days. Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi instructed the Ministry of Energy and state transmission operator Ukrenergo to restore power as quickly as possible.

The outage began after Russian strikes damaged energy infrastructure on the night of October 23-24. By October 27, the city had been without power for four consecutive days. Repair crews are currently working on the damaged sites, though officials note the damage limits backup power options for residents.

Koretskyi stated that the government will provide diesel fuel to the city today. This fuel will support alternative power sources, specifically boiler houses and water utilities. The delivery is intended to keep critical services running while grid repairs are completed.

The city has deployed invincibility centres, which are heated facilities stocked with food and power banks for residents. Koretskyi confirmed these centers remain operational. He noted that critical infrastructure is currently running on backup power sources.

Konotop Mayor Artem Semenikhin reported that the strikes complicated the resumption of electricity supply. He added that repair work is ongoing but the extent of the damage has reduced the capacity of backup systems available to consumers.

No specific date has been set for when full grid power will return to Konotop. The immediate focus is on maintaining heat and water services using the newly allocated diesel stock.