Extensive damage to energy infrastructure leaves parts of Kyiv, Odesa oblasts without scheduled blackouts
The scale of damage to energy facilities from Russian attacks has made it impossible to resume scheduled rolling blackouts on Kyiv's eastern bank and in parts of Kyiv Oblast and Odesa Oblast, the Energy Ministry said on Dec. 30.
The statement comes amid Russia's ongoing attacks on Ukraine's energy sector, which have intensified with colder weather in an apparent effort to create a nationwide blackout.
Ukraine normally follows a schedule of power cuts to manage the overloaded energy system after Russian strikes. But after particularly heavy attacks, those schedules have broken down, leaving residents without electricity — and sometimes without heat or water — for an indefinite period until emergency repairs are completed.
Deputy Energy Minister Olha Yukhymchuk said during a briefing on Dec. 30 that some energy facilities have been hit by Russia "multiple times" recently.
"Each restoration requires significant time and resources, as the level of damage varies across regions," Yukhymchuk said.
"Because of the scale of the destruction, it is currently impossible to resume hourly power outage schedules on Kyiv's eastern bank, in several districts of Kyiv Oblast, and in Odesa Oblast," Yukhymchuk added.
Power outages in Odesa Oblast are linked to Russian attacks from October through December, while those in Kyiv Oblast stem mainly from damage caused by a Russian strike on Dec. 27, according to DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company.
In Kyiv Oblast, the Vyshhorod district was among the areas most severely affected by the Dec. 27 attack. Restoration work on energy infrastructure has been ongoing for three days, and as of the morning of Dec. 30, 9,000 households remained without power, DTEK said.
Yukhymchuk also said during the briefing that overnight attacks on Chernihiv Oblast on Dec. 30 left 75,000 consumers without electricity in the morning. Yukhymchuk added that some settlements in Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts were without power, either fully or partially.
Russian forces have regularly attacked Ukrainian cities in recent months amid U.S. efforts to negotiate an end of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Despite multiple rounds of negotiations, the fate of ongoing peace talks remains uncertain amid Moscow's refusal to budge from its maximalist demands in Ukraine.
