Kyiv currently has about half the electricity it needs — roughly 1,700 MW for 3.6 million residents — after recent Russian strikes and years of wartime damage weakened the national grid. Some households face 18–20 hour daily outages amid temperatures near −17°C, prompting an energy emergency. International partners have sent generators, about 1,300 heated sites have opened, and the city is installing mini thermal plants while crews work round the clock to restore services.
Kyiv Faces Severe Power Shortages — Mayor Says City Has Only Half The Electricity It Needs
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko attends an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 16, 2026. REUTERS/Alina Smutko
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told Reuters on Jan. 16 that the capital currently has roughly half the electricity it needs after a fresh wave of Russian strikes compounded years of wartime damage to Ukraine's power grid. The city of about 3.6 million requires roughly 1,700 megawatts to sustain essential services.
Many residents are facing prolonged outages, with some households losing mains power for 18–20 hours a day. Authorities this week declared an energy emergency as the national grid struggles to cope with accumulated damage and a new round of targeted bombardments. Bitter cold — with nighttime lows near −17°C (1°F), icy rain and snow — has made the situation more hazardous for those without reliable heating.
FAST REPAIRS, GENERATORS AND INTERNATIONAL AID
Klitschko said international partners had rushed in additional generators while repair crews worked around the clock to restore heating after a strike last week cut supplies to some 6,000 apartment buildings. Around 100 buildings still remained without heating at the time of the interview.
The city has opened roughly 1,300 heated sites to shelter residents and is installing mini thermal power stations in several districts to decentralise electricity and heating. Generators are being prioritised to power hospitals, kindergartens, water pumping stations and other critical infrastructure; the city estimates it needs about 300 tonnes of fuel per day to sustain those operations.
“It’s the first time in the history of our city that, in such severe frosts, most of the city was left without heating and with a huge shortage of electricity,” Klitschko said.
Officials have urged residents who can leave Kyiv to do so to ease pressure on strained infrastructure. Schools have extended winter holidays and many businesses have shifted to remote work as the city prepares contingency plans in case of further strikes on energy facilities.
Despite the scale of the crisis, Klitschko said city teams remain committed to fully restoring heating and are working on multiple backup scenarios to protect services through the winter.
(Reporting by Olena Harmash; editing by Daniel Flynn and Alex Richardson)
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