‘Winter is coming,’ Zelenskyy warns as Putin threatens Ukraine’s power grid

BRUSSELS — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautioned Thursday that a third winter of Russia’s full-scale war threatens to be devastating.

“Winter is coming, so we have to prepare,” he said during a joint appearance in Brussels with European Council President Charles Michel, stressing that Ukraine did its “homework” to beef up protection but now urgently needs more help with air defense.

Zelenskyy is in town to present his so-called victory plan to EU leaders, who are meeting for a key summit to discuss migration, plus the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader is also set to visit the European Parliament, meeting with President Roberta Metsola first and political group leaders after.

During “months without without military support,” Ukraine’s own “production of drones and … systems of electronic warfare helped a lot,” Zelenskyy said. “We need money for this, and partly the money from Russian assets.”

Since the early days of Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s all-out attack on Ukraine, Kremlin forces have pummeled Ukrainian energy infrastructure, damaging the country’s power system and bidding to freeze Kyiv into submission during the harsh eastern winter.

“No country can work without electricity, and 70 percent of the electricity capacity production has been destroyed,” EU top diplomat Josep Borrell told reporters after his arrival at the summit. 

“We provide new generators, but the new generators are being destroyed the following days — and we have to stop the cycle of ‘they destroy, we repair,’” Borrell added.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal also warned of the dangers of cold-weather warfare: “Winter will be very harsh in Ukraine” because of Russia’s repeated bombing of energy and heating infrastructure.

“Europe has the opportunity to help with energy exports, goods, money,” Michal added, while reiterating Estonia’s call for all EU countries to dedicate 0.25 percent of their GDP in aid to Ukraine.