Ukraine’s Energy System Strained as Russian Attacks Hit Every Power Plant – Shmyhal

Ukraine’s entire power generation network has been hit by Russian forces, knocking out thousands of megawatts and forcing the country to impose emergency electricity restrictions, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said Friday.

“There is not a single power plant in Ukraine that has not been hit by the enemy during the war,” Shmyhal told lawmakers during a government question hour.

Over the past year, Russia has carried out 612 deliberate attacks on the energy sector, and the bombardment shows no sign of slowing, the minister said. “The intensity is only increasing now, with strikes happening daily,” he added.

“Thousands of megawatts of generation have been knocked out. No one in the world has ever faced a challenge like this,” Shmyhal said.

“Yet despite it all, our energy system remains intact. Dispatchers at Ukrenergo are keeping control, even as they are forced to impose major consumption limits.”

The hardest-hit areas include Kyiv and its surrounding region, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and frontline communities. Nationwide restrictions affect households, businesses, and industry.

Shmyhal also criticized slow preparations and administrative delays in some regions. “Over the past two days in office, I have seen that too many things are openly stalling. We will now work in operational mode to restore order and accelerate processes,” he said.

Other Topics of Interest

Oleksiy Leonov on Ukraine’s South: From the Front Line to Cross-Border Cooperation

Russian plans to accelerate passportization in Transnistria and broaden legal grounds for overseas military deployments are part of a broader hybrid strategy, says lawmaker Oleksiy Leonov. While a new front near Odesa is unlikely for now, Ukraine should prepare for sabotage and deepen regional coordination with Moldova and Romania, he says.

The latest strikes have left the capital facing severe electricity and heating shortages, with emergency power outages introduced as officials scramble to keep the system running.

Energy emergency

Ukraine has declared an energy emergency following sustained Russian attacks on its power infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Thursday.

With temperatures plunging to -17°C (1.4°F), repeated strikes have left parts of the capital without heat, pushing Kyiv to the edge of a system-wide collapse.

Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of Ukraine’s Energy Research Center, said the situation is unprecedented globally. “Attacks on energy infrastructure at -15°C [5°F] in a city dependent on centralized heating are unprecedented anywhere in the world,” he said.

In response to the crisis, Ukraine has eased curfew restrictions to allow civilians to reach so-called “Points of Invincibility” – emergency aid centers providing heat, electricity, and basic services.

Under the new rules, people may leave their homes during curfew hours, from midnight to 5 a.m., but only to access these centers. Curfews remain in force elsewhere.

Shmyhal said the government is working to stabilize electricity supplies amid the attacks and record cold, noting that the country is operating under a formal energy emergency.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andriy Sybiha also said Kyiv plans to convene an emergency session of the energy-focused “Ramstein” format to secure additional international support.