The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ordered that ministries, central authorities, and regional state administrations stop using air conditioners, outdoor lighting of buildings and surrounding areas, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal has said.

"Russia continues to attack our energy sector. The energy system is integral. However, there remains a significant deficit in the system. This means that we can generate less electricity than we consume. To improve the situation, we are working from both sides simultaneously. We are restoring and expanding generation and at the same time reducing consumption," he said at a government meeting on Friday.

All government agencies are tasked with reducing electricity consumption, Shmyhal said.

"Today we are adopting the relevant government instruction. Ministries, central authorities, regional state administrations must abandon the use of air conditioners, external lighting of buildings and surrounding areas," he said.

The government also recommended that law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, and other government agencies take similar steps, and that local authorities limit street lighting.

"We also call on businesses to limit the use of air conditioners and other energy-intensive equipment that is not critical for production activities. The exception will not be limited to the use of air conditioners in hospitals and enterprises where air conditioning is part of the production process," Shmyhal said.

The Prime Minister thanked everyone who consumes electricity responsibly.

Representative of the Cabinet of Ministers in the Verkhovna Rada Taras Melnychuk said on the Telegram channel that ministries and other central executive authorities, regional and Kyiv city state administrations (military administrations), and the Government Secretariat were instructed to ensure, by December 31, 2024, electricity saving in the premises of these bodies and enterprises, institutions, organizations related to the sphere of their management, business companies, in the authorized capital of which 50 or more percent of shares belong to the state, in particular, by stopping the use of air conditioners, external lighting of buildings and surrounding areas.

It is stipulated that the corresponding measures do not apply to healthcare institutions, business entities for which air conditioning is part of the technological process, as well as technical measures for organizing road traffic.