Widespread blackout affects Ukraine and neighbouring countries, Zelenskyy explains the cause
Bad weather caused ice to form on power lines, knocking out two main transmission lines linking Ukraine, Romania and Moldova. Automatic safety systems were activated.
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a technical failure caused by severe weather was behind the widespread power outages in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. He said versions suggesting cyberattacks or external interference had not been confirmed.
He made the statement in his evening video address to Ukrainians on January 31.
What happened?
The president said a disruption occurred in the power grid in the morning, knocking out two transmission lines connecting Ukraine, Romania and Moldova. The incident is currently believed to have been caused by the following factors:
Weather conditions: icing on power transmission lines.
Automatic systems: the activation of protection systems, which led to the outages.
“As of now, there is no confirmation of external interference or a cyberattack. There is more evidence that icing on the lines occurred due to weather conditions,” Zelenskyy stressed.
Where is the situation most critical?
The incident affected a large part of the country, with the most critical impact reported in:
Kyiv and the Kyiv region;
Central Ukraine, including the Vinnytsia region;
Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Sumy regions.
Recovery status
The government, the energy ministry and power companies worked in emergency mode throughout the day. Zelenskyy said specialists had restored the system to the condition it was in before the outage. Stabilization efforts are ongoing as power supplies are fully restored to consumers.
He also thanked repair teams and railway workers for keeping logistics running during the energy disruption.