The new goal of Russia's attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure is to cause as much as possible damage to its economy, Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction, Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development Oleksandr Kubrakov said at the Munich Security Conference at a roundtable dedicated to Ukraine's recovery.

"The recent attacks on our energy sector have proven that the Russians are trying to pursue a different goal right now. If last year they tried to freeze out millions of Ukrainians in the winter, then this time they are trying to destroy our economy. They are trying to disconnect our key industrial regions from the power grid," he said.

Kubrakov said that this is definitely a new purpose of Russian strikes on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

At the same time, he emphasized that the good news is that Ukraine, together with its partners, have done good homework: the supply of autotransformers, electric generators, the construction of protective structures and the import of electricity, as well as, of course, the supply of air defense.

"We are much stronger this winter, despite all these problems and attacks," the Deputy Prime Minister said.

He said that it is not about the fact that Ukraine is capable of protecting all energy-generating capacities and networks, so work to protect them needs to continue.

Kubrakov added that energy is the sector that needs to be constantly restored, without waiting for the end of the war, including using temporary solutions, since without this the normal functioning of the economy is impossible.