Emergency power outages introduced across most Ukrainian oblasts
Power outage schedules are not in effect in Kyiv and many oblasts of Ukraine on January 23, 2026 (Photo: REUTERS/Alina Smutko)
Emergency power outages were introduced across many oblasts of Ukraine with scheduled hourly blackout timetables suspended, the national grid operator Ukrenergo said on Jan. 23.
Updated at 11:17 a.m. Ukrenergo said emergency power outages are being applied today in most oblasts of Ukraine. As of Friday morning, consumers remain without electricity in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts as a result of Russian strikes on energy facilities.
Emergency outages are being imposed due to the consequences of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power system.
DTEK reported emergency outages in Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa oblasts. Information on DTEK’s website also indicates that scheduled outage timetables are not in effect in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast.
Regional power utilities in the Sumy, Poltava, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv and other oblasts are also reporting a difficult situation and emergency outages.
“Previously published outage schedules in oblasts where emergency outages are being applied are currently not in effect. Energy workers are doing everything possible to restore stable power supply as quickly as possible,” Ukrenergo said.
Earlier, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said Jan. 22 was the most difficult day for Ukraine’s power system since the nationwide blackout in November 2022. He said this was due to damage to generation equipment, destroyed distribution networks and transformers, as well as ongoing Russian attacks across the entire energy grid. Shmyhal described the situation as extremely difficult, with the most severe conditions in Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
On Jan. 21, Shmyhal said energy workers had developed a number of technical solutions that would allow Kyiv to move to stricter but more predictable outage schedules following Russia’s strikes on Jan. 9 and Jan. 20.
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