Ukraine to introduce power outages across country late on May 20
Ukraine will introduce hourly energy shutdowns for industrial and household consumers in all oblasts from 6:00 p.m. local time on May 20 until midnight.
The restrictions will not affect critical infrastructure facilities, said Ukraine's state-owned energy operator, Ukrenergo, on May 19.
A recent uptick in Russian strikes put a heavy strain on Ukraine's power grid, with several power plants being destroyed or disabled.
Due to resulting power deficits, Ukraine began implementing rolling shutdowns on May 15.
These restrictions may last until August, said Yurii Boiko, an advisor to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
"If we talk about the (power supply) restrictions that started a day ago, we will have to live in these conditions, according to my estimates, until August," Boiko said during a press conference on May 16.
Ukraine previously experienced blackouts during the autumn and winter of 2022 and 2023, when a massive Russian missile campaign destroyed half of the country's power grid.
