Ukraine hit by widespread blackout, Zelenskyy briefed on situation

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was briefed on the situation by Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal and First Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko following an emergency in the national power system that occurred earlier on Friday.

He reported this on Telegram.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that all necessary resources were available within Ukraine’s energy system and that restoration work was under way.

According to the president, the main task is to stabilize the situation in the coming hours.

Shmyhal on the blackout

Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal attributed the large-scale and emergency power outages to technical disruptions, combined with the simultaneous shutdown of lines connecting the Ukrainian system with Romania and Moldova.

He said the incident was recorded at 10:42 a.m., when a 400 kV line between the energy systems of Romania and Moldova and a 750 kV line connecting western and central Ukraine were disconnected. This caused a cascading shutdown in Ukraine’s energy system, triggering automatic protections at substations.

“Blocks at nuclear power plants were unloaded. Currently, in Kyiv city, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Kharkiv regions, dispatchers are applying special schedules for emergency outages. Ukrenergo teams are working to restore power. Electricity will be restored in the coming hours,” Shmyhal added.

Emergency power cuts in several Ukrainian regions

Several regions of Ukraine are under emergency power cuts. Metro services in Kyiv have been suspended.

The Kyiv City State Administration said train operations and escalators were stopped after voltage from external power sources was lost. Mayor Vitali Klitschko noted that underground metro stations can currently serve as shelters using backup power.

Kyivvodokanal said water supply has been disrupted in all districts of the capital due to the energy system emergency.

Emergency power cuts are in place in Chernihiv, Poltava, Kharkiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk regions, and in Kyiv and its region.

Victoria Hryb, Head of the Parliamentary Subcommittee on Energy Security, said Ukraine is not facing a complete nationwide blackout.

Severe disruptions in Ukraine’s energy system caused a sharp voltage drop on the 400 kV Isaccea–Vulcănești–MGRES line in Moldova.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy says electricity is expected to return within a few hours.