Ukraine may face hours-long blackouts as winter approaches, UN says

Repeated large-scale attacks since March by Russian armed forces against the electricity infrastructure of Ukraine have inflicted extensive harm and hardship on the country’s civilian population, with potentially devastating consequences as winter approaches, the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission (HRMMU) said in a new report released today, reported from UN in Ukraine.

The report, based on site visits and interviews with technical experts, energy company representatives, local residents, and government officials, describes the far-reaching impact of these attacks. The destruction of energy infrastructure has compromised essential services, including water distribution, sewage and sanitation systems, heating and hot water, public health, education, and the economy. Vulnerable populations such as older persons, people with disabilities, internally displaced, and lower-income households are particularly affected.

Between March 22 and August 31, Russian armed forces launched nine waves of coordinated attacks against electricity infrastructure in Ukraine, striking facilities in 20 of the 24 regions under Ukrainian control, including Kyiv.

The report highlights that these assaults have destroyed around 9 gigawatts of electricity generation capacity – equivalent to half of what Ukraine requires during winter months. By June, 73 percent of the country’s thermal power generating units had been rendered inoperative.

The damage has caused rolling power cuts across the country, with some cities experiencing blackouts for 12 hours or more a day during a heat wave over the summer.

The report warned that the effects of the attacks will become even more severe in winter when temperatures drop. Experts interviewed by HRMMU predicted winter power outages of between 4 and 18 hours per day. With an estimated 70 percent of the population living in urban areas, many Ukrainians reside in multi-story buildings.

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