Russia strikes power grid as Ukraine braces for −30°C Arctic cold
Points of Invincibility in Kyiv, Jan. 23, 2026 (Photo: REUTERS/Alina Smutko)
Russia has resumed strikes on Ukraine’s energy
infrastructure, knocking out electricity in four oblasts, the Energy Ministry said on Feb. 2.
Russian forces targeted energy facilities in Kharkiv, Sumy,
Dnipropetrovsk and Cherkasy oblasts, leaving portions of each region without
power. Repairs are underway at sites damaged by the renewed attacks.
A power shortfall remains in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, the
ministry added. Emergency blackouts are being enforced in several regions,
including Kyiv Oblast, due to the strained state of the grid. Once the system
stabilizes, planned hourly outage schedules will resume.
Severe weather has also left more than 160 towns and
villages without electricity across Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kirovohrad oblasts.
Regional utility crews are working around the clock to restore damaged power
lines.
On Jan. 29, U.S. President Donald Trump said he had
personally asked Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to refrain from striking Kyiv
and other Ukrainian cities for one week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later thanked Trump
for his efforts as the country braced for a deep freeze beginning Feb. 1.
But on Jan. 30, Zelenskyy clarified that there had been no direct agreement with Russia on halting attacks on energy sites.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Jan. 30 that Trump
had requested a pause in strikes on Kyiv only through Feb. 1.
Ukraine’s Hydrometeorological Center warned that extreme
cold was expected between Feb. 1 and Feb. 3, with temperatures forecast to drop
as low as −20 to −27°C (−4 to −17°F), and in some areas to −30°C (−22°F).
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