Repower Ukraine appeals for industry support during this most brutal winter
Repower Ukraine has appealed to the European and UK sustainable energy industry to do more to help its vital hospital energy programme. Right now, and after an already brutal winter, temperatures in Kyiv are set to drop again to minus 15 degrees Celsius, with at least another week of severe sub-zero temperatures forecast.
Svitlana Vovchenko, CEO of Repower Ukraine, explained that “very harsh winter conditions, combined with the large-scale destruction of the energy system, have affected literally everyone, but Repower Ukraine is providing some hope to frontline medical facilities. Together with our European and UK partners, we have already delivered 10 vital solar and battery hospital projects, but with greater support, we could be doing even more to address this severe and ongoing crisis.”
Russia’s deliberate targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has led to a widespread humanitarian crisis, with predictably grim results. Earlier this month, Kharkiv, for example, declared an energy regional-level emergency after months of constant enemy shelling. Ordinary Ukrainians, of course, are on the frontline of this brutal onslaught, which is clearly designed to terrorise them and to weaken their resolve.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Health reports that in January, over 1,600 Ukrainians had to have emergency treatment for frostbite and hypothermia. Shamefully, as of January 2026, Russia had destroyed over 2500 health care facilities, with over 450 ambulances either destroyed or damaged.
Ensuring that hospitals have warmth and reliable energy sources is a top priority for Repower Ukraine, but the challenges are severe. As Svitlana Vovchenko explains, “Our team is facing unprecedented challenges, particularly in communications, as remote municipalities remain without electricity and internet for days at a time and are unable to submit electronic requests. Our team members are working from homes without heating, enduring daily power outages that last 10 to 18 hours. Even our office in Kyiv has been inaccessible, as the radiators froze during temperatures that dropped to minus 20 degrees Celsius this winter, and electricity supplies are cut regularly.”
Kirsty Berry, a UK ambassador for Repower Ukraine, said, “The challenges facing our colleagues in Ukraine during this most brutal of winters are truly unimaginable. That’s why we’re calling on our colleagues throughout the UK and wider European industry to do even more to help Repower Ukraine deliver vital solar and battery projects to Ukraine’s hospitals. Now is surely the time to step up. Please do what you can to help.”