What happened
Intensified Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy grid have triggered planned rolling blackouts across the country, with some families in Kyiv living without electricity for up to 20 hours a day. Power cuts began earlier this year than last winter and are lasting longer, leaving homes darker and colder.
Single parent Daryna Kulchytska, raising two children in a seventh-floor flat in Kyiv, said her household recently had only four or five hours of power per day, delivered in unpredictable blocks. When the electricity cuts, the lifts stop, water stops flowing to upper floors, and families gather by torchlight.
A visit to one of Ukraine's largest power stations showed the scale of the damage. The facility, which cannot be named for security reasons, was reduced to twisted metal and broken pipes after a recent ballistic missile strike described as the most powerful and devastating of Russia's campaign against Ukrainian energy targets. Workers reported air raid warnings every 15 to 30 minutes during recovery efforts, forcing them to stop work and take cover.
Energy officials say Ukraine still has enough generating capacity to meet demand, but damaged power lines and substations prevent electricity from reaching homes and businesses. Maxim Timchenko, CEO of DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, said the scale and types of weapons used in the attacks have doubled compared with last year, and that overstretched air defences cannot protect all critical infrastructure. He estimated rebuilding the damaged station would take at least until next summer.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine still has enough generating capacity to meet electricity demand, but distribution remains the problem. Officials are concerned that life will quickly become unsustainable for millions if power cannot be maintained for at least four hours per day.
