A Capital in Darkness: How and Why Kyiv Lost Power and Heat
People warm their hands over a BBQ during a party at a sports ground in a neighborhood left without electricity after recent Russian strikes on the capital’s civilian infrastructure, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, during sub-zero temperatures in Kyiv, Ukraine January 24, 2026. The party was organized by a local DJ who said that people would rather dance with their neighbors in the street than sit in their cold and dark apartments to lift the mood during frequent heating and power outages. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
Source: Author’s Facebook page
Kyiv’s problems run deeper than blackouts: years without a development strategy, combined with constant political battles over the budget and control of the city, have left the capital vulnerable.
1) Where does electricity in Kyiv come from?
About 20% of Kyiv’s electricity is generated by the city’s combined heat and power plants (CHPs).
The remaining 80% comes from nuclear power plants. This electricity is transmitted to Kyiv through distribution substations, most of which are located outside the city and are not controlled by Kyiv’s local authorities.
2) Where does Kyiv’s heat come from?
Heat is mainly produced at CHP plants, which also generate the 20% of electricity mentioned above.
The majority of Kyiv’s heat supply comes from CHPs, while only a small share is generated by district boiler houses and boiler facilities operated by condominium associations.
3) Why does Kyiv face such serious electricity problems?
The core issue is that many electricity distribution substations are not under Kyiv’s control.
As a result, even if all CHP plants were operating perfectly, Kyiv would still face power supply problems—because the issue lies not with the 20% generated locally, but with the 80% supplied through state-controlled infrastructure.
4) Can the city solve the electricity problem on its own?
No. Kyiv does not own nuclear power plants or the main distribution substations; they are controlled by the state, which is logical given their strategic importance.
However, the city can and should ensure that critical infrastructure is equipped with autonomous backup power sources.
5) Heat
Can the city protect CHP plants from missile attacks?
No.
What can the city do?
The city can diversify heat generation, but this cannot be achieved in one, two, or even four years. It is a complex strategic objective, not a quick fix. However, strategic goals are never achieved if they are not clearly defined and consistently pursued.
Kyiv must fundamentally change its heat supply system. The city needs to move away from the Soviet-era model of centralized heat supply, which suffers from massive transmission losses and extremely high costs due to the complexity of generation and its vulnerability to constant enemy attacks.
The only immediate and effective way to protect what still exists—and what is being restored—is air defense.
Kyiv needs to expand and scale up air defense capabilities, backed by adequate equipment and trained specialists.
But none of this will happen if political infighting continues to take priority.
And none of it will happen if city authorities fail to develop and follow a coherent long-term strategy—the very problem identified at the beginning.
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