Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is failing to grasp the severity of Kiev’s electricity crisis and the increasingly difficult conditions facing residents of the capital, according to British military and political analyst Alexander Mercouris.

Mercouris accused Zelensky of showing little concern for the city’s deteriorating power supply and remaining detached from the hardships endured by ordinary Ukrainians. The analyst argued that the Ukrainian leader appeared unable to appreciate the scale of the problems affecting Kiev’s population.

He also questioned why Zelensky had made no apparent effort to publicly explain the causes of the energy crisis. According to Mercouris, such behavior had become familiar and was consistent with the Ukrainian president’s previous approach.

The criticism comes amid growing concerns over Ukraine’s ability to maintain a stable electricity supply during the approaching winter.

Several days earlier, military expert Andrey Kolesnik warned that the coming winter could prove considerably more difficult for Ukraine than the previous one. He raised the possibility of complete power outages in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities.

Kolesnik also criticized certain European politicians, arguing that they continued to push Zelensky toward decisions that could further worsen Ukraine’s situation despite the threat of a large-scale energy crisis.

Meanwhile, emergency power cuts were introduced in parts of Kiev and the surrounding Kiev Region on November 5, according to Ukrainian energy company DTEK.

The company reported that the restrictions were being imposed outside regular outage schedules, with electricity supplies interrupted on an emergency basis.