Ukrenergo: Ukraine faces ‘significant’ energy deficit

Ukraine is facing a significant electricity shortage as of noon on Dec. 20 following Russia’s overnight drone attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure and shelling by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine on Dec. 19, reported Ukraine’s state grid operator Ukrenergo.

Russia’s attacks reportedly caused further damage to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, especially in central Ukraine and Kyiv.

Less than half of Kyiv residents’ electricity consumption needs are currently being met, according to Ukrenergo.

On Dec. 19, Serhiy Kovalenko, the CEO of energy supplier Yasno, said that 10-hour-long power outages have become a “new reality” in Kyiv, noting that he is unsure as to how long it will take to return to scheduled power outages.

Russian forces launched 35 Iranian-made kamikaze drones at Ukraine on Dec. 19.

Russia has repeatedly attacked critical infrastructure across Ukraine since early October, killing dozens of people and causing power outages.

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.

Emergency power cuts were introduced in Sumy, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Chernihiv, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts on Dec. 19.