Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said intelligence indicates Russia is preparing a new wave of massive strikes targeting energy infrastructure and called for Ukraine’s air defenses to be properly configured to meet the threat. The remarks, delivered during a presidential address on February 16, 2026, came alongside criticism of recent air defense performance reported by the Associated Press and an urgent appeal for allied missile deliveries. With energy disruptions a recurring risk during winter attacks, the move also underscores a diplomatic push to secure the weapons Zelenskyy says Ukraine needs to protect its energy system.
Intelligence Points to Energy Grid as Target
Zelenskyy’s warning was direct. In his address, he stated that Ukrainian intelligence had confirmed Russian forces were actively preparing new massive strikes aimed at the country’s energy system, and that air defense must be configured properly to meet the threat. The phrasing left little room for ambiguity: this was not a general caution but an operational instruction tied to specific intelligence reporting. Zelenskyy also said in a separate nightly video address that Russia is “waiting for the moment” to carry out the strike, according to Associated Press footage of the remarks.
The threat is far from abstract. A recent large-scale overnight Russian attack involved 219 drones, 24 ballistic missiles, and one aircraft missile, striking cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa, as the Associated Press reported. That barrage fits a pattern of escalating attacks on civilian power systems during the winter months, when heating disruptions carry the greatest human cost. Zelenskyy’s decision to publicly announce the intelligence assessment, rather than quietly adjust military posture, can be read as serving a dual purpose: preparing Ukrainians for potential disruptions while pressing Western allies to accelerate weapons deliveries. By putting Moscow’s plans on the record, Kyiv also highlights that any future blackout would follow attacks on energy infrastructure.
Air Force Performance Draws Presidential Criticism
The warning did not come with praise for the forces responsible for executing Ukraine’s air defense mission. Zelenskyy described parts of the Ukrainian Air Force’s response to recent drone barrages as “unsatisfactory,” a notably blunt assessment from a wartime commander in chief. He said steps were being taken to improve how the military responds to large-scale aerial attacks, which have caused widespread blackouts and heating failures this winter, according to Associated Press coverage. That kind of public rebuke from a sitting president to his own armed forces is unusual and suggests the gap between current defensive capabilities and the scale of the Russian threat has become too wide to paper over with reassurances. It also reflects the political reality that every successful strike on the power grid is felt immediately by millions of Ukrainians, turning air defense performance into a domestic issue as much as a military one.
The structural response has already begun. Earlier this year, Zelenskyy announced a shift in air defense strategy that includes mobile fire groups, interceptor drones, and short-range assets, alongside the appointment of Pavlo Yelizarov as deputy Air Force commander, according to a Reuters report. The reorganization reflects a recognition that static, traditional air defense networks cannot keep pace with the volume and variety of Russian aerial weapons now in use. Drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles each demand different interception methods, and Ukraine’s forces have struggled to counter all three simultaneously during mixed barrages. By shifting to more agile, layered defenses and elevating new leadership, Kyiv is attempting to close that gap before the next major wave of strikes, though the effectiveness of these changes will only be tested under fire.
Repair Crews and Energy Officials Mobilize
While the military recalibrates, the civilian side of Ukraine’s energy defense is already running at full capacity. Zelenskyy disclosed that nearly 58,000 repair workers are currently involved in restoring damaged infrastructure, with an additional 50 crews deployed specifically to Kyiv. Those numbers reflect the scale of destruction already inflicted on the grid and the speed at which repairs must proceed before another wave of strikes potentially undoes the work. The deployment of extra crews to the capital suggests that Kyiv’s energy systems remain particularly vulnerable or that damage there has been more severe than in some other regions. It also underscores how the front lines of the energy war now run through urban neighborhoods, where utility teams work around the clock under the threat of renewed bombardment.
Zelenskyy said he had received briefings from government officials on the state of repairs and energy supply. The involvement of both the prime minister and the energy minister in direct consultations with the president indicates that energy resilience has been elevated to the highest tier of national security planning, not treated as a routine infrastructure matter. For ordinary Ukrainians, the practical meaning is stark: even with tens of thousands of workers racing to restore power, the next Russian barrage could plunge entire cities back into darkness and cold within hours. The cycle of destruction and repair has become a defining feature of daily life, and each successful reconstruction effort is now measured against the looming possibility of another coordinated strike on substations, transmission lines, and thermal plants.
Allied Missile Deliveries as the Strategic Priority
Zelenskyy has framed the air defense gap not as a problem Ukraine can solve alone but as one that requires immediate international action. In a separate presidential statement, he declared that new support packages for Ukraine are forthcoming and that the “key priority is missiles for air defense, for protection against ballistic missiles.” The emphasis on ballistic missile defense is significant because ballistic weapons travel at speeds that make interception far more difficult than shooting down slower cruise missiles or drones. Without adequate interceptor stocks, even a well-organized air defense network cannot protect critical infrastructure from the fastest incoming threats. Zelenskyy’s message to partners is therefore both technical and political: without more modern systems and munitions, Ukraine’s ability to keep the lights and heat on for its population will erode.
That appeal comes as Russia appears intent on sustaining or intensifying its winter campaign against the power grid, using massed salvos of drones and missiles to overwhelm existing defenses. The recent attack involving more than 200 drones and dozens of ballistic missiles illustrated how quickly Ukraine’s current stocks can be stretched, and how difficult it is to shield every city simultaneously. By publicly tying his high-alert order to specific intelligence about future strikes and to the need for additional Western weaponry, Zelenskyy is seeking to align domestic expectations with international diplomacy. Success will be measured not only by how many incoming missiles Ukrainian forces can shoot down, but by whether allied governments move fast enough to ensure that the next wave of attacks does not plunge the country into a deeper, prolonged energy crisis.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
