Kyiv only getting 4-6 hours of electricity a day in February after relentless Russian strikes

The Ukrainian capital city will get just four to six hours of electricity a day in February, after relentless Russian strikes decimated key parts of the country’s energy infrastructure.

A massive attack this week — the largest on Ukraine’s power grid since the start of the year — targeted two key substations, including one in Kyiv.

“These strikes were especially devastating,” Stanislav Ihnatiev, head of the Board of the Ukrainian Renewable Energy Association, said in an interview with Ukrainian outlet Telegraf. “It is these facilities that ensure the distribution of large amounts of power on a national scale.

Kyiv has been plunged into darkness for much of the day after continual Russian strikes on the power grid. AFP via Getty Images

“Damage to substations of this class is not a local accident, but a strategic blow to the entire energy system.”

The attack happened in the midst of a deadly cold snap that plunged temperatures to -13 degrees, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian strongman Vladimir Putin of tactically agreeing to pause strikes for a few days — only to stockpile weapons to launch an even larger attack during one the coldest days of winter.

“They postponed the strike, increased the number of missiles and drones, and struck during the coldest days,” Zelensky said.

Four years into its invasion, Moscow has intensified its attacks on Ukraine’s already battered energy grid, frequently plunging millions into darkness and cold for hours.

Thousands of Ukrainians are often left without electricity at a time in the capital city. AP

With the attacks so frequent, officials have been unable to fully repair the infrastructure, forcing them to introduce emergency power cuts during what’s been Ukraine’s coldest winter in a decade.

Kyiv, like many other cities across the war-torn country, was already on a rolling blackout schedule, with residents often going long stretches without electricity.

This latest estimate, however, is the grimmest one yet. Ihnatiev said restoration of some of the power grid’s unique equipment will take months or even years.