Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on friendly and allied countries to help it obtain air defence systems in its fight with Russia, while warning that “Russia is preparing for new massive attacks”.
In the backdrop of renewed high-tech missile and drone attacks by Moscow, Zelenskyy declared a state of emergency in the power sector, saying his government was struggling to meet energy needs after losing more than 40 per cent production capacity due to relentless Russian strikes.
Urging countries to provide support to Kyiv, Zelenskyy cited a critical shortage of air defence systems that was needed to counter the assault.
The latest slew of Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities have triggered a mass exodus of Ukrainians into neighbouring countries, while the build-up of an energy crisis has forced the Kyiv administration to extend school holidays until February 1.
With temperatures in Ukraine falling to minus 10 degrees Celsius, the collapsing energy infrastructure has prompted more than 1,56,000 people aged between 18 and 22 years to flee to Poland in the last four months of 2025.
Also Read: EU needs new weapons to deter enemies: Macron
These border crossings by the youth follow the government’s decision in late August to allow men in this age group to leave the country and grab opportunities to study abroad so that they can contribute to Ukraine’s future development.
According to research by the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center, nearly 10 million Ukrainians have so far been displaced – equivalent to 24 per cent of the country’s pre-war population of 44 million.
“This includes 6.9 million internally displaced and 3.7 million who have fled abroad as refugees since 2022,” the findings revealed.
Meanwhile, US-brokered peace negotiations aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war have dragged on, with sources claiming a Ukrainian official delegation comprising Kyrylo Budanov and Rustem Umerov, secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council, is expected to meet US representatives soon to discuss details of the draft peace agreement.
Russian forces currently control nearly “20 per cent of Ukrainian territory”, including Crimea and parts of Donbas – an area roughly equivalent to the US state of Pennsylvania.
Follow us
