Ukraine faces worst day for power system since 2022 blackout, prime minister says

Thursday marked the most difficult day for Ukraine’s energy system since the nationwide blackout in November 2022, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

Shmyhal said the situation was caused by a combination of factors stemming from continued Russian strikes, including damage to generation facilities, distribution networks and transformers across the country.

He said grid operator Ukrenergo was forced to introduce emergency outage schedules to preserve the integrity of the power system, with the most severe situation reported in Kyiv, the surrounding region and the Dnipropetrovsk area.

Restoration efforts are being hampered by security conditions amid ongoing air raid alerts, Shmyhal added. Ukraine has declared an energy emergency and urged citizens to prepare basic supplies.

Ukraine has received more than 50 tonnes of energy equipment from international partners, including transformers and generators. Azerbaijan has also sent transformers and other equipment to support Ukraine’s energy sector.