Ukraine is preparing for a harsh winter!

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's government said electricity had been restored to millions of people, but warned Ukrainians to prepare for more blackouts and asked people to reduce their use of electricity wherever possible.

"It is important to understand that Russian terrorists will try to use the cold as a weapon," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Wednesday. "In their sick imagination, it is a victory for Ukrainians to sit without electricity for a few hours. They think this is how they will force us to surrender. This will not happen." The Ukrainian government said Russian missiles and drones struck Ukrainian targets 128 times over three days this week, hitting 28 energy facilities. Moscow has denied targeting civilians. Zelensky's adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters that the government was prepared for attacks on critical infrastructure and had managed to avoid overloading the power grid thanks to a call for people to reduce electricity use. "Russia understood that Ukraine has a strong energy system and therefore ... attacked distribution substations connecting (different) regions," Podolyak said. "Thanks to the responsible approach of Ukrainians who limited their consumption in the evening hours, the system managed," Podolyak said in a written statement. Podolyak also ruled out retaliatory attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. "Ukraine is waging a war of defense." Shmyhal said electricity had been restored to more than 4,000 towns and villages since the attacks, but warned of difficult times ahead. The government is urging citizens to stock up on warm clothes, candles, flashlights and batteries, while asking people to limit the use of energy-consuming appliances such as ovens, washing machines or kettles during peak consumption times. "It's not about sitting in the dark. It's just to reduce the use of the appliances that consume the most energy," Shmyhal said. He also asked businesses to turn off outdoor advertising and said homes should be heated to a maximum of 18 degrees Celsius (64.4 °F) in the coming months. So far the call has had some effect - Shmyhal said consumption dropped by 10% between Tuesday and Wednesday, but did not give exact figures. Follow Global Economic Developments on Social Media! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Facebook account! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Instagram account! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Twitter account!