Going Dark: Ukrainians Face Rolling Blackouts As Russia Destroys Critical Infrastructure

Kateryna, 70, looks out her window while holding a candle during a power outage in Borodyanka on October 20.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned EU leaders on October 20 that Russian attacks that have destroyed a large portion of Ukraine's energy infrastructure are aimed in part at provoking a new wave of migration of Ukrainians to EU countries.



 

People use their mobile phones for lighting during electricity rationing in Kyiv on October 19.

"Russian terror against our energy facilities is aimed at creating as many problems as possible with electricity and heat for Ukraine this fall and winter, and for as many Ukrainians as possible to go to your countries,” Zelenskiy told an EU summit in Brussels.

A van moves along a dark street in Mykolayiv on October 20.

Russian attacks on the Ukrainian power grid forced nationwide power cuts on October 20, worsening the misery of its people as they face the upcoming winter without enough electricity or heat.


 

A boy plays with a tablet during a planned power outage in Kyiv on October 20.

The government ordered Ukrainians to minimize electricity use from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and warned that temporary blackouts were possible.
 

People shop in a supermarket in Kharkiv during a power outage on October 17.

Ukrainian authorities have called Moscow's tactic of targeting civilian infrastructure a war crime and continue their call for Russia to be designated a state sponsor of terrorism.

The headquarters of UkrEnergo was targeted by Russian forces during the October 17 attack on Kyiv.

Andriy Kostin, Ukraine's prosecutor general, has called on The Hague to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism. Kostin cited the October 17 missile attacks that killed 19 people, wounded 105 others, and sparked an international outcry. "This had no military purpose. The goal of Russia's deliberate attacks is to cause civilian deaths and to destroy civilian infrastructure."
 

Firefighters work to put out a fire at a thermal power plant damaged by a Russian missile strike in Kyiv on October 18.

Russia has repeatedly targeted civilian and infrastructure targets across Ukraine resulting in electricity being cut in more than 1,000 cities, towns, and villages.


 

Another target of Moscow's missiles was this power station in Kharkiv. Ukraine's second-largest city -- and a largely Russian-speaking city close to the border --  has been repeatedly bombed, making life miserable for its inhabitants. Roughly half of Kharkiv's population of 1.4 million has left because of the war.

The missile strike on the plant in Kharkiv left a gaping hole.

Built before World War II, the plant supplied 30 percent of Kharkiv's electricity before it was shelled twice. The other two plants are still operating, though in need of repairs.
 

A man pushes a stroller near destroyed apartment buildings in Borodyanka.

While some have power, others in areas without electricity and water are now bracing for a harsh winter.


 

A resident collects potatoes that spilled after receiving them as humanitarian aid in Svyatohirsk.

Authorities in Ukrainian-controlled areas have urged all remaining residents to evacuate and warned that gas and water services in many areas will likely not be restored by winter.

Volunteers are also urging residents, like this elderly woman living in the village of Zarechne in the Donetsk region, to leave.
 

A man uses his mobile phone's light to find his way along a darkened street in Kyiv on October 19.

“These are war crimes,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on October 19. “Targeted attacks on civilian infrastructure with the clear aim to cut off men, women, children [from] water, electricity, and heating with winter coming. These are acts of pure terror.”

Women stand next to Ukrainian flags placed in memory of civilians killed during the war on central Kyiv's Independence Square on October 20.