Kyiv blackouts are expected as three major power plants have been affected.

Three major thermal power plants in Kyiv have stopped generating electricity following direct strikes, according to the Ukrainian news outlet Ekonomichna Pravda. The targets were Plant No. 5, Plant No. 6, and the Darnytsia Power Station, also known as Plant No. 4. Before these attacks, the three facilities combined produced up to 1.3 gigawatts. This output covered a significant portion of the demand. During warmer months, the city needed between 1 and 1.2 gigawatts. Winter requirements increased sharply, pushing needs to 1.8 or even 2 gigawatts.

The situation has changed dramatically. Kyiv now relies almost entirely on regional sources for its power supply. The Khmelnytskaya and Rovno nuclear power plants feed the city's grid. With those central plants offline, avoiding blackouts this winter is now impossible. Even in the best-case scenario, residents should expect outages lasting 8 to 10 hours each day. Conditions will worsen rapidly if freezing temperatures grip the region or if more infrastructure is damaged. In those harsh cases, power cuts could extend up to 20 hours per day. The story is still developing as new details emerge.