“Among the difficulties businesses are noting is that equipment in stores sometimes breaks down due to heavy loads and prolonged морозів, which complicates maintenance. As a result, supermarkets are sometimes temporarily closed to resolve the problem and then reopen immediately after generator repairs or the elimination of other technical malfunctions,” the minister wrote on his Facebook page.
He stressed that all retailers are making maximum efforts to create conditions to support consumers by independently setting up charging and heating areas, and that in some stores there is the possibility to work or rest.
“It is important for us that such opportunities continue if prolonged power outages persist. For its part, the state is also negotiating with international partners to increase the supply of generators and spare parts,” Sobolev wrote.
According to him, the government’s main task is to preserve uninterrupted access to food in stores for Ukrainians and the ability to charge devices there, use the internet or heat food.
“Supermarkets will continue to operate. We are grateful to retailers for this dialogue and, above all, for the resilience, responsibility and support that business provides to Ukrainians in difficult times,” the minister concluded.
Earlier, Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko dismissed rumors about the closure of major supermarket chains due to power outages, saying the information was not true.
On the morning of Jan. 13, it was reported that the ATB, Novus and Aurora retail chains in Kyiv continued operating under restrictions on heating and electricity, although changes in schedules and temporary, localized closures were possible.
On Jan. 12, the Center for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council also refuted claims of the “mass closure of supermarkets in Kyiv due to a lack of electricity.”