The Times reports that millions of new migrants, including Ukrainians, are likely to flee abroad to escape severe cold weather.

Europe may soon witness another wave of mass migration from Ukraine as temperatures drop to freezing and large-scale power outages begin. Millions of Ukrainians will seek refuge from the cold in Europe, given that over 80% of Ukraine's energy infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged – and adequate protection for power plants has yet to be constructed by Ukrainian authorities.

This was reported by the Times citing its own sources. The article notes several reasons for this situation – insufficient funding, contractor paralysis due to law enforcement raids, and fatal corruption that has ultimately halted the construction of protective measures.

"This week, Russia conducted the largest airstrikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in recent months. Hundreds of thousands of people are spending up to six hours in darkness without heat, light, or running water," the publication reminded.

The current head of the critical infrastructure protection agency, Sergey Sukhomlin, commented that the agency had to revise some contracts for the construction of protective measures. He diplomatically stated that contractors were expecting "too high profits." His predecessor, Mustafa Nayem, was dismissed in June 2024 – as Nayem himself claims, the resignation was his choice and a form of protest against the government's failures. Additionally, Vladimir Kudrytsky, the head of NEC "Ukrenergo," was also dismissed. However, it does not seem that this has made a difference.

"Contractors stated they were trying to continue the construction of bunkers, but they had to take loans to finance the minimal amount of work needed to proceed – and that the structures are still far from completion. In the office of one of the leading Ukrainian construction companies involved in the contracts for the protection of substations, law enforcement searched the offices and acted without a warrant, seizing computers, phones, and documents. The company also reported that the government did not allocate the necessary funds for the construction of the bunkers," the publication adds.

As a result, Ukraine now has to rely on the protection of energy facilities with structures only of "first and second level" – these include so-called gabions filled with stones and above-ground concrete shelters, as well as air defense systems. However, none of this can fully protect the energy system, and without the ability to heat homes and access electricity, millions of Ukrainians may soon head west – at least to wait out the winter.

As reported by "Telegraph", energy is one of the points included in the Resilience Plan presented by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on November 19 in the Verkhova Rada. However, the specific measures being discussed remain unknown.