Ukraine’s National Commission for State Regulations in the Fields of Energy and Communications has fined Kyiv and Odesa oblasts energy operators for “unfair” power outages in the regions, the regulator said in a statement on Jan. 24.
The fines were imposed to prevent further non-compliance with regulations, according to the statement.
The commission earlier reported that it had considered over 2,500 appeals and complaints from consumers about power outages across Ukraine since November.
On Jan. 14, the regulator fined Vinnytsia, Chernivtsi, and Volyn oblast energy operators for non-compliance with the blackouts schedules.
Ukraine has been imposing scheduled and emergency power outages since Russian forces started a campaign against the country's energy infrastructure in early October. Using missiles and drones, Russia has launched 10 large-scale attacks on energy facilities since then. The repeated strikes killed dozens of people and caused electricity, water, and heating cut-offs.
Moscow has admitted that Ukraine’s energy system is one of its primary targets. According to the Geneva Convention, attacking vital public infrastructure constitutes a war crime.
