Russia's systematic destruction of Ukraine's energy system means that by winter, Ukrainians may be without electricity for the "vast majority" of the day, the Financial Times (FT) reported on June 5, citing Ukrainian officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The damage is so extensive that Ukrainians should be preparing for "life in the cold and the dark," one official told the FT, while another said that Ukraine should prepare for a "new normal" of frequent blackouts.
Russia intensified its attacks against Ukraine's critical infrastructure in the spring as part of a renewed assault against the country's energy grid.
The timing of Russia's campaign appeared to match when Ukraine began to face insufficient supplies of military aid from the West, leaving some critical infrastructure without air defense.
Chris York
Two hydroelectric power stations and two thermal power plants were hit during a massive Russian attack on June 1, inflicting serious damage.
One of the officials who spoke to the FT said that the strike not only hit power generation facilities, but also badly damaged "infrastructure critical for transporting gas from underground storage facilities in western Ukraine."
EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova said on June 2 that Russia has destroyed 9.2 gigawatts (GW) of Ukraine's energy generation.
Before the full-scale invasion, Ukraine produced around 55 GW of electricity, which was "among the largest in Europe," the FT said.
"That power generation capacity has currently dropped below 20 GW, due to bombardments or to Russian occupation taking those plants offline, according to Ukrainian officials."
Ukraine started rolling out national blackouts in mid-May, having avoided nationwide power cuts during the winter.
Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko warned on May 13 that Ukrainians should "prepare for a difficult winter" as Ukraine has "already lost about 8 gigawatts of capacity in the system."
"If this had happened in any other country, there would have been a total blackout," Halushchenko said.
Oleksandr Lytvynenko, the secretary of Ukraine's national security and defense council, told the FT that Russia's aim is to make life "untenable" for Ukrainian civilians.
Asami Terajima
(Updated: )
