Kyiv and several other regions have temporarily scrapped scheduled outages in favor of emergency shutdowns. The Ministry of Energy attributes the shift to fresh Russian attacks and severe weather conditions.
The energy system has sustained damage across the generation, transmission, and distribution sectors. New destruction is compounding the effects of previous shelling, slowing down recovery efforts. Freezing temperatures are further complicating the situation.
"We see the enemy is going all-in, expending all available forces and resources to effectively destroy the energy sector. They are specifically targeting Kyiv and major population centers," Deputy Energy Minister Mykola Kolesnyk said on Suspilne News.
Russian forces are employing ballistic missiles and drones to inflict maximum damage on Ukraine's energy grid. Attacks on the capital and major cities are particularly intense.
Strict consumption limits are necessary to balance the grid. "Forced electricity restrictions are quite severe precisely to balance the energy system between available transmission capacity and current consumption... to keep the energy system intact and unified," Kolesnyk explained.
Forecasting recovery timelines is currently impossible as the enemy continues intense attacks. Emergency repair crews are working around the clock, including in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Shmyhal, a candidate for the relevant ministerial post, acknowledged that homes with electric heating must be prioritized during power stabilization efforts. The Energy Ministry will address the issue of residential heating in Kyiv in cooperation with city authorities.