**Emergency Power Shutdowns in Ukraine**
Ukraine’s state grid operator, Ukrenergo, has introduced emergency power shutdowns in eight regions due to high electricity consumption and Russian attacks on the country’s energy system. This happened on February 4.
**Reason for Shut Downs**
The recent Russian attacks have damaged electricity generation and transmission facilities. At the same time, electricity usage is going up because temperatures in Ukraine are dropping below zero. To prevent power shortages, Ukrenergo has asked people to reduce their electricity consumption between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
**Regions Affected**
The emergency shutdowns have been introduced in the following regions:
* Kharkiv
* Sumy
* Donetsk
* Poltava
* Zaporizhzhia
* Kirovohrad
Some parts of Dnipropetrovsk and Cherkasy oblasts are also affected.
**Past Blackouts**
Scheduled blackouts were common in Ukraine when Russia launched mass attacks on the country’s energy system in 2022-2023 and again in 2024. These attacks caused heat, water, and mobile network disruptions throughout Ukraine.
**Avoiding Long Blackouts**
Although winter was expected to be tough, with possible blackouts lasting up to 20 hours a day, Ukraine has so far avoided predicted power outages due to warm weather and the country’s improved ability to protect and repair its energy infrastructure.
