Refugees abroad are being told to stay put until spring
(Picture: AP)Refugees who fled in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine should stay abroad this winter due to blackouts created by Russia, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister has said.
Russia has targeted critical energy infrastructure, and Ukrainians sheltering abroad should wait until spring to return home, Iryna Vereshchuk said in a television interview.
“I wanted to ask (them) not to return. We need to survive the winter,” she said.
Ms Vereshchuk said the grid “won’t survive” the return of refugees from abroad, and that the situation would “only get worse”.
“To return now is to risk yourself and your children, your vulnerable relatives,” she said.
Russia has launched waves of devastating missile and drone strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure this month, which has left millions without power.
Ukraine officials said up to 40 per cent of the power system has been damaged
Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said Moscow is seeking to create a new wave of refugees in Europe, while foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said the attacks amounted to genocide.
“Deliberate strikes on Ukraine’s critical civilian infrastructure are part of Russia’s genocide of Ukrainians,” Mr Kuleba wrote on Twitter.
Moscow has acknowledged attacking energy infrastructure but denies targeting civilians.
Last week, the Ukrainian government placed restrictions on electricity usage nationwide.
Power supply was restricted between 7 am and 11pm, government officials and grid operator Ukrenergo said, with temporary blackouts possible.
A local official in Kyiv, the capital, warned last week that residents needed to be prepared for possible disconnections lasting days or even weeks.
The strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure come as the International Monetary Fund works with Ukrainian authorities to help its struggling economy.
Ukraine’s external financing needs will be around $3 billion a month through 2023 in a best-case scenario, but could rise as high as $5 billion if Russian bombing becomes “even more dramatic,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said.
“And in a worst case scenario, if the bombing is even more dramatic ... it could go to $5 billion a month,” she said.
