Veon’s Ukraine subsidiary Kyivstar outlined a plan to increase the number of industrial generators available for use in the country and supply a fresh batch of batteries, as the operator seeks to ensure service continuity during extended power cuts.

Kyivstar intends to add 848 industrial generators and 61,766 batteries to its infrastructure as part of continued attempts to maintain communications services during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The operator noted it had used 2,322 generators and 115,000 four-hour batteries at base stations to supply power back-up since the start of the war.   

Its latest generators and batteries are set to be used across the country, with Kyivstar highlighting this included “critical facilities” requiring “at least three days of generating capacity in the event of a comprehensive power outage”.

Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov added ensuring power availability and preparation for blackouts in the country had been central to its investment since 2022, explaining the $24 million spent in the last two years “helped us improve energy resilience”.

“However, the changing nature of threats to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and extended blackouts now necessitate a reinforcement in our strategy,” he said, emphasising the additional resources would “enable Kyivstar to support critical connectivity”.