As of February 27, power outages continue to affect consumers in six regions of Ukraine due to recent Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure. The national energy company, Ukrenergo, is actively working to restore electricity supply.
Current electricity consumption in Ukraine aligns with seasonal averages; however, outages persist in the Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions. Authorities have urged residents to conserve energy, leading to the implementation of power limitation schedules for industries and hourly outages for households in many areas. In certain regions, emergency situations have rendered these schedules ineffective.
On February 26, the daily peak electricity consumption was reported to be 5.2% lower than the previous day, attributed to additional restrictions following a massive missile and drone attack.
Ukrainian energy officials have encouraged citizens to minimize the use of high-energy appliances and, where possible, to shift energy-intensive activities to nighttime hours, specifically after 11 PM.
Background on Energy Attacks
Since January 14, a state of emergency has been in effect in Ukraine’s energy sector, as directed by President Volodymyr Zelensky, in response to Russian strikes and deteriorating weather conditions.
On February 18, Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal announced Ukraine’s proposal to international partners to establish an Energy Task Force, aimed at coordinating assistance for the restoration of the energy sector following Russian attacks.
Earlier in January, Shmyhal indicated that the situation within the energy system was the most challenging since the onset of the full-scale war. He noted that over 50,000 specialists are engaged in repair work, and the government is enhancing the protection of critical infrastructure through air defense and electronic warfare measures.
On the same day, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko reported that international partners had pledged new aid packages, which would include over 6,000 units of large energy equipment to stabilize the system.
A significant technological disruption occurred on January 31, leading to cascading power outages across multiple regions. In Kyiv, the metro system temporarily halted operations, and there were interruptions to heating and water supply in various areas.
According to the Minister of Energy, at 10:42 AM, a simultaneous disconnection occurred on the 400 kV transmission line between Romania and Moldova, as well as the 750 kV line between western and central Ukraine. This triggered automatic protections, leading to the unloading of nuclear power plant blocks and the introduction of emergency outage schedules in Kyiv and surrounding regions. Initial investigations ruled out cyberattacks or external interference, with preliminary assessments suggesting that ice accumulation on lines and equipment was the cause.
The most severe conditions have been noted in the capital and several surrounding regions. In Kyiv, power outages led to the suspension of metro services and escalators, along with disruptions to water supply and heating; some systems were switched to backup power. Similar issues were reported in Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia, Mykolaiv, and Odesa, where emergency or hourly outages were implemented, causing further disruptions to transportation and municipal services.
Ukraine is grappling with ongoing power outages in multiple regions due to Russian strikes on its energy infrastructure. Despite efforts to restore service, the situation remains critical, with authorities urging energy conservation among residents.