Ukraine faces the potential threat of large-scale power outages this winter — in the event of severe frosts and new strikes by Russia on the energy infrastructure, the country could be without power for up to 20 hours a day. This is reported by Politico.
In recent years, winter in Ukraine has become synonymous with the energy crisis. Russia systematically attacks Ukrainian infrastructure, which critically affects the possibility of ensuring a stable electricity supply. Only in August 2024, according to Gennady Ryabtsev, an expert on the energy market and a researcher at the National Institute for Strategic Studies, the Russian Federation launched more than 200 missiles and drones at energy facilities, which reduced generation capacity by 9 GW. This is equivalent to the loss of eight large power plants and hundreds of heat supply facilities.
"The most realistic scenario for Ukraine this winter is to limit the supply of electricity to 8-14 hours a day for industry and the population," Ryabtsev notes. This is already an extremely serious challenge for the country, but in an even worse scenario - in the case of a severe cold and new massive attacks on nuclear plants - outages of up to 20 hours a day are possible, warns Oleksandr Kharchenko, head of the Center for Research in the Energy Industry and adviser to the government on energy issues.
Such a situation could become catastrophic for millions of Ukrainians. Politico warns: "Prolonged blackouts will leave homes without heat, shut down critical industries, and could force many Ukrainians to flee their homes in search of warmth and safety abroad."
Victoria Hryb, head of the subcommittee on energy security in the Verkhovna Rada, emphasizes that the situation is "really critical" and calls on international partners for immediate help. Western support in the form of air defense systems and equipment for the rapid recovery of damaged objects will be a decisive factor in reducing the consequences of Russia's energy attacks.
