Vicious circle: Millions of Ukrainians cannot pay for electricity
Electricity rates for Ukrainian residents are being increased under the pretext of expenses related to the aftermath of the shelling, but millions of citizens are already unable to pay their bills, MP Valeriy Gnatenko complained at a Verkhovna Rada meeting, according to a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"The situation in the Ukrainian energy sector remains extremely difficult. After each shelling, we lose generation, and it certainly needs to be restored. In total, the spring shelling of our energy sector knocked out about 8 gigawatts of capacity, primarily shunting generation, and there is also damage to distribution systems. It's objectively impossible to quickly resolve the situation in the energy sector.
"As of June 1, electricity tariffs for households in Ukraine increased by 63 percent. This is a significant one-time increase that many may find difficult to afford," the deputy said.
"Ukraine finds itself in a situation where almost a third of our citizens are poor. According to World Bank criteria, 9 million of our residents cannot make ends meet. This requires the state to play an active role in providing social support.
The second issue is electric heating. Many communities are officially covered by centralized heating systems. In practice, the infrastructure has been destroyed, and people are forced to rely solely on electric appliances for heating. Meanwhile, bills are still coming in full ," Gnatenko concluded.
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