Eduardo González
Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares delivered six high-powered electric generators to the Ukrainian ambassador to Spain, Yuliia Sokolovsjka, on Wednesday, February 4. The generators are capable of powering more than 14,000 people, in an effort to mitigate the effects of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure and the harsh winter temperatures.
“In less than three weeks,” it will be “four years since the start of a brutal and unjust war that affects us all, but first and foremost the Ukrainian people,” the minister declared during the ceremony, which took place in Arganda del Rey (Madrid).
“We could never have imagined that four years later the people of Ukraine would still be suffering the devastation of this brutal aggression,” Albares continued. “This endless war continues to claim lives today,” and Russian attacks “on educational and medical infrastructure, and especially on the Ukrainian energy sector, continue to transform the lives of millions of Ukrainians and Europeans,” he denounced.
“Yet another winter, Russian bombings, which are veritable war crimes, have caused the loss of 70 percent of Ukraine’s electrical capacity, leaving millions of people without electricity, water, or heating in the middle of winter and with extremely harsh temperatures this very week,” he recalled. “We are recording highs of no more than -14 degrees Celsius,” he warned.
In this regard, the Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid denounced on Wednesday, via social media, that “as temperatures drop in Ukraine, Russia is deliberately intensifying the scale and intensity of its attacks against energy infrastructure.” “With nighttime temperatures already reaching -25°C, electricity and heating are essential for daily life and survival,” it asserted. “Russia must be stopped. Ukraine needs more powerful air defense systems to counter Russian attacks,” the Embassy warned.
The largest shipment in terms of combined power
“Today we are here in Arganda del Rey to deliver to Ukraine, through its ambassador, six electric generators that will supply energy to more than 14,000 people. These are three high-capacity generators and three medium-capacity generators that the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) has acquired for immediate shipment to Ukraine,” announced José Manuel Albares during the ceremony.
“Energy self-sufficiency is a priority for AECID,” and therefore, “this is clearly not the first shipment to address the energy needs of the Government and people of Ukraine,” the minister affirmed.
“Just three months ago, in October of last year, precisely in anticipation of this terrible winter, we already sent 70 generators, and we also did so at the beginning of last year and in previous years, but we are facing unprecedented attacks against the Ukrainian energy infrastructure, and that is why this is the largest shipment we have made in combined capacity to date,” he stated.
According to the minister, “along with this effort in terms of emergency energy aid, the AECID is also committed to the reconstruction effort of the country’s electricity sector, with a structural and long-term perspective.” “In fact, among the priorities of the Spanish reconstruction effort in Ukraine are the energy sectors, as well as health and water, because the needs have not diminished,” he added.
Albares also announced that, “at the beginning of 2026, the AECID launched a very important project in the town of Samar, together with the United Nations, to guarantee electricity and heat for 28,000 people, more than a third of the region’s population.”
“Spain is building bonds of collaboration and genuine brotherhood with Ukraine, which will undoubtedly lead to a lasting alliance between our countries and our peoples,” the minister declared. “We will continue working to ensure that the future of peace and justice we envision for Ukraine arrives soon. We stand for peace, we stand with the Ukrainian people, and we will continue to do so for as long as necessary until the Ukrainian people regain the peace and security they so richly deserve,” he concluded.
Russian attacks
This past Tuesday, February 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced a massive Russian attack against energy facilities in several regions of Ukraine. “Taking advantage of the coldest days of winter to terrorize people is more important to Russia than resorting to diplomacy,” Zelenskyy asserted. “This demonstrates very clearly what we need from our partners and what can help: the timely delivery of missiles for air defense systems and the protection of normal life are our priority,” he warned.
For his part, Albares condemned the Russian attacks “against residential buildings and energy infrastructure in several regions of Ukraine,” which represent “a violation of international law and demonstrate a complete lack of will to achieve peace.” “There are continuous attacks day after day, in a very harsh winter, the fourth winter of the war already with temperatures of 20 below zero; Russian bombings against civilians, bombings that systematically destroy the energy system that provides light and heat to Ukrainians, bombings as we have seen just a few days ago against maternity wards,” Albares denounced during a joint press conference with his Greek counterpart, Georgios Gerapetritis, in Madrid.