Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 15, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleUkraine enforces power cuts in most regions after Russian attacks damage energy facilities, affecting cities like Kyiv. The government seeks international support.
KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine is introducing emergency power cuts in all but two regions following a spate of Russian strikes that have hobbled the country's energy system, officials said on Wednesday.
Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities as winter approaches, seriously damaging gas production and plunging major cities including the capital Kyiv into periods of darkness.
In a statement, Ukraine's energy ministry said the fallout from recent strikes had forced it to implement the cuts. Planned power outages had already been in place in the eastern Donetsk and northern Chernihiv regions.
Earlier on Wednesday, leading private energy provider DTEK said it had returned power to 1.9 million residents mostly in Kyiv and the southern Odesa and southeastern Dnipropetrovsk regions over the past week.
Ukrainian officials including President Volodymyr Zelenskiy are pressing Kyiv's allies to step up supplies of critical air-defence equipment and strengthen energy assistance.
Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal, speaking in Brussels on Wednesday, said Ukraine was preparing for a "very tough, very difficult winter" and urged partners to help Ukraine produce more interceptor drones.
"We understand that Putin will continue his terror."
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa and Dan Peleschuk; Writing by Dan PeleschukEditing by Gareth Jones, Kirsten Donovan)
Power cuts are temporary interruptions in the supply of electricity to a particular area. They can be caused by various factors, including maintenance work, equipment failure, or damage from external events.
Energy assistance refers to programs or support provided to help individuals or communities manage their energy costs, especially during difficult times such as extreme weather or economic hardship.
Gas production is the process of extracting natural gas from underground reservoirs. It involves drilling wells and using various technologies to bring gas to the surface for distribution and use.
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