Russian strikes on the energy sector: de-energized regions and the risk of the worst winter for Ukraine
7 October 18:50
On the night of October 7, Russian troops again attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. As a result, consumers in four regions were left without electricity: Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Donetsk.
Transmission system operator Ukrenergo said that the situation in Sumy region remains particularly difficult, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Forced blackouts
In Chernihiv region, the local power company was forced to introduce hourly blackouts for two “queues” of consumers at once.
a “queue” means a group of households or businesses that consume a certain amount of electricity. Their number determines the scale of the blackouts:
- 1 queue – up to 4 hours without electricity per day;
- 2 queues – up to 8 hours;
- 3 stages – up to 12 hours;
- 4 queues – more than 12 hours and blackouts in additional “light gray” zones;
- 5-6 queues are actually emergency outages when the schedules no longer work.
Emergency repairs are currently underway, but they are complicated by regular air raids.
Kharkiv is under special pressure
Last week, Russian troops destroyed two transformer substations that supplied power to Kharkiv. According to local authorities and power engineers, the coming winter could be the most difficult for the city in all the years of war.
What the government and energy companies say
Ukrenergo emphasizes that Russia is systematically trying to disable key energy facilities to make life difficult for civilians during the cold season. Ukrainian power engineers are already warning of the need to prepare for possible long-term blackouts.
Attacks on the energy sector have been one of the Kremlin’s main tools since the fall of 2022.
According to Kyiv, Russia is seeking to deplete the system by creating shortages and disabling transformer stations and distribution networks.
Last winter, Ukraine experienced the largest blackouts in its history, but maintained the integrity of the power system thanks to emergency repairs and help from partners.
What’s next
The Ukrainian authorities are urging citizens to save electricity and prepare for possible blackout schedules. Power engineers warn that if the attacks intensify, repeated large-scale blackouts are likely.
As a reminder, in October 2022, Russia launched massive attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, seeking to plunge the country into darkness and cold. According to the Ministry of Energy, over 40% of energy facilities were damaged in the first month of the campaign alone. Despite this, Ukraine managed to get through the heating season. However, analysts warn that given the shortage of equipment and the systematic nature of the attacks, the upcoming winter could be even more difficult.
