Kyiv mayor says power situation 'extremely difficult' after strikes
Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned of a near-total blackout in eastern Kyiv after renewed Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy grid this week.
Kyiv's electricity supply is in an "extremely difficult" state after renewed Russian strikes on the power grid, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, as monitoring group Liveuamap reported an almost complete power blackout in the eastern part of the city.
"The enemy continues to destroy Ukraine's unified electricity grid," Klitschko said, adding that both power generation and transmission had been damaged nationwide, along with problems to water supplies and public transport.
Private operator reported "serious destruction" in Dnipropetrovsk region and damage to facilities in Odesa region and elsewhere, and said the situation was currently most critical in Kyiv, where it had carried out emergency power cuts.
Energy minister Denys Shmyhal accused Moscow of directing three drones at a substation essential to the stable operation of the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant during the same night's wider attack, calling it a serious escalation and saying Kyiv had informed the .
Kyiv has almost no electricity generation of its own and depends on the national grid, mainly nuclear plants, for power, energy analyst Volodymyr Omelchenko of the Razumkov Centre told Radio NV. He said Russian forces were attacking the capital's five key high-voltage substations around the clock, making repairs dangerous and difficult for utility crews, and called for stronger around the sites plus more backup equipment and repair teams.
Ukrainian officials have said the capital's own distributed-generation projects can so far supply only a small fraction of the roughly 1,800 megawatts Kyiv needs in winter, leaving it reliant on the wider grid and exposed whenever that grid is damaged.
Ukraine regularly strikes Russian oil refineries and energy facilities in return. Russia and Ukraine are due to hold talks in Abu Dhabi on 10 and 11 November, mediated by the United States, US envoy Steve Witkoff said on Monday.
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What we know
- Kyiv's power supply is "extremely difficult", mayor Vitali Klitschko said, amid a near-total blackout in the city's east, Liveuamap reported.
- Operator DTEK said Kyiv is currently the most critical area, with emergency power cuts under way; Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions also hit.
- Energy minister Denys Shmyhal said three drones targeted a substation vital to the Khmelnytskyi nuclear plant, calling it a serious escalation.
- Kyiv has almost no local generation and depends on five key substations ringing the city, which Russian forces are attacking around the clock, analyst Volodymyr Omelchenko said.
- Water supply and public transport are also affected, Klitschko said.
Why it matters for Europe
Ukraine fears a repeat of winter 2025-26, when Russian strikes destroyed power plants and left millions in the cold and dark; officials say nuclear plants are now carrying more of the load as coal, gas and hydro capacity has been damaged. Because Kyiv relies almost entirely on five high-voltage substations for its power, repeated strikes on that ring threaten the capital's supply more directly than attacks elsewhere on the grid.
Sources
Reported by 5 reports from 5 independent outlets in 4 countries.
- Liveuamap: Almost complete power blackout at the eastern part of Kyiv
- La Libre: À Kiev, la situation est "extrêmement difficile", alerte le maire Vitali Klitschko
- NV: Київ майже не має власної генерації, а п’ять ключових підстанцій ЛЕП столиці атакують в режимі 24/7 — експерт
- Notícias ao Minuto: Eletricidade? Autarca de Kyiv alerta para situação "extremamente difícil"
- Correio da Manhã: Autarca de Kiev alerta para situao "extremamente difcil" na rede eltrica
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- What did Klitschko say about Kyiv's power situation?
- He called it "extremely difficult" on Telegram, saying both power generation and transmission had been damaged nationwide.
- Why is Kyiv especially vulnerable?
- The capital has almost no electricity generation of its own and depends on five key substations that Russian forces are attacking around the clock, an energy analyst said.
- Was a nuclear plant targeted?
- Energy minister Denys Shmyhal said three drones were directed at a substation vital to the Khmelnytskyi nuclear plant, calling it a serious escalation.
This article was written with AI assistance from 5 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.