Ukraine's 'Big Problem' is Water Supply, Heat as Electricity Stabilizes

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that his country is quickly getting power back to nearly 6 million residents. He went on to say that water and heat sources continue to be problems for Ukrainians as the harsh winter begins to set in.

"During the day, it was possible to restore electricity to almost 6 million Ukrainians," Zelensky said during his nightly address. "Repair work continues without interruption after yesterday's terrorist attack. Of course, there is still a lot of work to stabilize the system."

This is when the Ukrainian president went on to say water was one of the "big problems" his country faces, other than aggressors, of course.

"There are problems with the supply of heat, there are big problems with the supply of water. The most difficult situation is Kyiv and the region, Vinnytsia and the region, Lviv and the region, but there are also large-scale blackouts in many other regions," Zelensky said.

Zelensky said about 75 percent of the power had been restored in Kyiv, but "large-scale blackouts" are still to be expected in places like Dnipro and its region, and "Volyn, and Zhytomyr region, and Transcarpathia, these are Frankiv region, Odesa, Odesa region, Poltava region, Ternopil region, Chernihiv region, other cities and other regions."

Zelensky also used his nightly address to reiterate to ally countries that Ukraine is still looking for a "reliable air defense."

"Find opportunities to give Ukraine reliable protection of the sky, a reliable air defense shield. You can do it. You can give protection to our people - one hundred percent protection from Russian missiles," Zelensky said.

"When we get it, then the main form of Russian terror, namely missile terror, will become simply impossible. And this alone will mean security for millions of people and a strategic restructuring of the entire military situation. The fewer opportunities Russia has for terror, the more opportunities we will have to restore and guarantee peace."

The Russia-Ukraine war is entering its 297th day. The one-year anniversary will be February 24, which is two months from this coming Saturday. Russia has lost almost 100,000 soldiers since the war began, according to the Ukraine Defense Ministry.

Winter officially began in Ukraine on December 1, and weather for the next 90-120 days could be extremely harsh for both Ukraine and Russia. Zelensky urged his nation to help any fellow citizens whenever they can, not just when they're asked for help.

"To get through this winter, we have to help each other more than ever and care for each other even more," Zelensky said during a recent address to his nation. "And please don't ask if you can help, and how. Just help when you see you can.

"To get through the winter, we have to be even more resilient and even more united than ever. There can be no internal conflicts and strife, which can weaken us all, even if someone out there thinks that somehow it will strengthen him personally. We need more interaction than ever. All of Ukraine has to become one big Point of Invincibility and work every day, work every night. The state, business, people -- all of us, Ukrainians, all together."