Voskoboynik: “We have no spare country” — moving to the countryside won’t save you from a blackout

Head of the Office of Migration Policy Vasyl Voskoboynik has stated that moving from cities to villages for the winter will not solve Ukrainians’ problems if Russia leaves the country without electricity.

He made the remarks in an interview with the YouTube channel “Superpozitsiya.”

According to the official, in the event of a large-scale power outage, conditions will be difficult in all populated areas — regardless of their size. Moving to rural areas will not eliminate problems with work, children’s education, or medical care.

“Moving to a village won’t change the situation. Well, except that, sorry, the toilet will be outside. If the whole country is left without electricity, it’s clear that small towns will face the same thing… Where can Kyiv, with a population of three million, move to? Where can Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia — with a combined population of more than a million — move to? We have no spare country,” Voskoboynik said.

The official also believes that a mass exodus of the population from cities will not occur.

Last winter, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to leave the capital when part of the city was left without heating. At the end of August, energy expert Stanislav Ignatyev also advised against moving from large cities to villages, pointing out that heating a private home with firewood is expensive.