Kyiv, Ukraine – Ukrainian Prime Minister and Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal announced a near-total collapse of Ukraine’s energy production infrastructure. He confirmed that the ongoing attacks have left no power plant in the country undamaged.
Thousands of megawatts have gone offline
In a speech to the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada) on Friday, Shmyhal revealed the scale of the disaster, saying, “There is not a single power plant left in Ukraine that hasn’t been hit… We have lost thousands of megawatts of generating capacity.” He also indicated that the situation had reached a critical stage requiring the declaration of a state of emergency in the energy sector.
Major cities plunged into darkness
The past few hours have seen a serious escalation in power outages, particularly in the capital, Kyiv. Similar outages have also affected the Dnipro, Odesa, and Kharkiv regions. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the situation as “extremely critical,” noting that the disruptions extended beyond electricity to include water and heating supplies. Furthermore, residents are experiencing outages lasting for days at a time.
Running out of repair equipment and resorting to imports
According to media reports, maintenance crews faced an unprecedented crisis after running out of equipment needed to repair the damaged power grid. In response, the Ukrainian government issued a decree requiring state-owned enterprises to purchase at least 50% of their electricity needs from foreign suppliers during the current winter. This measure aims to alleviate pressure on the aging domestic grid.
Statistics on the “Dark Crisis”
Production capacity has plummeted while population demand has remained constant, creating a massive energy gap. Google Trends data revealed that “power outage schedule” was among the most searched terms in Ukraine in 2025. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of the crisis response, as public pressure mounted due to disruptions in essential services. Despite this bleak picture, Shmyhal attempted to reassure parliament that the “transmission network” remained technically intact despite severe consumption restrictions. He emphasized that the top priority was preventing the complete collapse of what remained of the national energy system.
