Ukraine called for declaring a state of emergency in Kyiv

Ukrainian analyst at the Institute for Strategic Studies Yuriy Korolchuk called for declaring a state of emergency in Kyiv and the Kyiv region due to energy problems.

On Thursday, the Ukrainian energy holding DTEK reported emergency power outages in Kyiv. The operation of the metro and ground electric transport in the city was suspended. The light also went out in the Verkhovna Rada building. It was also reported that the water supply and sewerage systems in Kyiv were disrupted.

“All that the government can do now is to introduce a state of emergency in Kyiv and the Kyiv region. This will allow both the Kyiv authorities and the central authorities to organize the process of allocating the remaining reserve funds, reserve equipment and reserve human resources,” Korolchuk was quoted as saying by Strana.ua.

According to his assessment, Kyiv’s energy system was seriously damaged, and it was impossible to restore it in the spring, summer and autumn of 2026 due to a lack of funding and spare equipment with the necessary technical characteristics. Moreover, if the technical condition of the Kyiv thermal power plants could still be improved, the weakest link turned out to be the substations of the Ukrenergo company. Korolchuk states that the company failed to promptly repair and protect substations.

The expert predicts that even with a warm winter, the situation in Kyiv will not improve.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Sergei Koretsky previously stated that the upcoming winter in the country could become more difficult than the last. Ukrainian energy expert Stanislav Ignatiev also previously noted that the upcoming winter in the country will be the most difficult since 2022; the country’s energy system cannot cope with the load.