Russian strikes deepen Ukraine’s winter power crisis as blackouts lengthen

Intensified Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid have caused lengthy rolling power cuts, leaving homes without electricity, heating and water as winter approaches. The disruption is already severe in Kyiv, and officials fear conditions could become unsustainable for millions if daily power supplies fall below four hours.

Single mother Daryna Kulchytska says her family sometimes has electricity for only two hours before an eight-hour outage; blackouts in some Kyiv homes have lasted up to 20 hours. A major power station, damaged beyond operation by a ballistic missile strike, is being repaired amid frequent air-raid warnings that repeatedly halt work. Nationwide, hundreds of thousands have recently been without power, while Kyiv’s metro and trolleybuses have at times stopped.