Ukrainian Power Grid Faces Unprecedented Challenge, Energy Minister Says

Russia has bombarded Ukraine’s power grid, especially in winter, in a strategy Kyiv officials have previously labeled ‘weaponizing winter.’

Cars drive along the Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Jan. 15, 2026. Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine’s power grid is facing an unprecedented challenge this winter as Russia escalates the bombardment of its infrastructure, Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Jan. 16.

These strikes have left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without light or heat for days as winter bites, with nighttime temperatures forecast to plunge to minus 23 degrees Celsius (minus 9.4 Fahrenheit) on the evening of Jan. 16.