Ukraine’s National Power Company (NPC) Ukrenergo announced emergency power outage schedules in the Sumy region for Wednesday.
In a Telegram post, the state energy company said that the timing and duration of these power outages will be impossible to predict.
This is because emergency outage schedules are used when the energy system comes under severe strain in order to “immediately reduce the amount of power consumed from the network in a very short period of time.”
Customers of NPC Ukrenergo will be notified that an emergency power outage has come into effect via the E-Svitlo website and app, which is used by consumers across Ukraine to manage their household electricity consumption and bills. These emergency power outage will remain in effect until NPC Ukrenergo decides it is safe to lift the restrictions.
“The only reason for applying any restrictions is Russia’s military aggression against the Ukrainian people and damage to energy facilities as a result of shelling by the Russian army,” the company said.
Ukraine’s northern region of Sumy, which borders Russia, has faced repeated attacks in recent weeks – against everything including civilian housing and railway stations.
As autumn turns to winter, Russian forces are increasingly focused on destroying energy infrastructure. Last Friday, a large-scale drone and missile assault targeted at least 10 energy facilities across the country.
On Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he discussed energy imports during a rare phone call with US President Donald Trump. The two leaders are set to meet in person this coming Friday, when energy will be one of the principal topics of discussion.