The European Union is stepping up efforts to provide Ukraine with support to restore and maintain electricity and heating, including with generators from rescEU stocks located in Romania, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday, following a new wave of Russian missile strikes on of critical Ukrainian infrastructure, Reuters reports.

The head of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, after a telephone conversation with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, informed that the EU executive body is preparing the transfer to Ukraine of large donations from EU countries and from the Commission’s reserves.

Millions of Ukrainians were left without heating and electricity on Friday after Russia’s most devastating airstrikes on the power grid to date, and residents were warned to prepare for further attacks and stock up on water, food and thick clothing.

“We are stepping up our efforts and working with partners to provide the emergency support Ukraine needs to restore and maintain electricity and heating for civilians. Through the EU Emergency Response Coordination Center, the Commission is currently preparing to send large donations to Ukraine from member states and directly from the rescEU Commission pool as soon as possible,” the EC president noted.

Thus, according to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Lien, the EU will supply 200 medium transformers and a large autotransformer from Lithuania, a medium autotransformer from Latvia and 40 heavy generators from the rescEU strategic reserve located in Romania.

Each of these generators can provide uninterrupted power to a small or medium-sized hospital.

In addition, the European Commission is working on a new rescEU energy center in Poland to allow third-party donations and help coordinate their delivery to Ukraine, especially with our G7 partners.

“We have also contacted relevant companies in various countries to request vital high-voltage equipment, including other autotransformers, and are coordinating with partners to quickly transport it to Ukraine,” von der Leyen said.

Half of Ukraine’s capital was still without power on Friday morning after Russian bombers hit critical infrastructure, causing massive blackouts across the country. Impressive footage from Kyiv is being shared on social networks, in one of which a little girl is charging her inhaler at a gas station.

The US space agency NASA has released satellite images that show the scale of the energy crisis Ukraine has faced following a wave of Russian attacks on the country’s civilian infrastructure.

Satellite images taken from space at night on Wednesday show much of Ukraine in darkness compared to neighboring European countries.