Kyiv city officials will begin reducing evening street lighting after Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy system caused major power shortages throughout the country, Serhii Popko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, announced on May 9.
Russia carried out a large-scale attack overnight on May 8 against Poltava, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, and Vinnytsia oblasts, mainly targeting energy infrastructure. At least two hydroelectric power plants were forcibly decommissioned as a result of the attack.
Moscow has recently intensified its missile and drone strikes against Ukraine's critical infrastructure, destroying several thermal power plants across the country, including the Trypillia plant, the main electricity supplier to Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Cherkasy oblasts.
Popko published a statement on Telegram confirming that the May 8 attack caused a shortage in the country's power grid. Ukraine's state-owned energy operator, Ukrenergo, will be forced to impose power supply restrictions on industry and business between 6 p.m. and midnight.
According to Popko, the restrictions may include blackouts for industry and business in Kyiv. He also announced that city officials have decided to minimize evening street lighting.
Chris York
"We are working on finding the best ways to save electricity without compromising the city's vital functions," Popko said. "We have already decided to minimize evening street lighting. We will not turn off all the lights completely. We will reduce the brightness of the lighting fixtures using the outdoor lighting control system, which will help us achieve overall savings of at least 20%."
The limitations will not impact power supplies to household consumers in Kyiv.
Popko encouraged Kyiv residents to save money and reduce energy usage between the hours of 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. as these are "the most important load hours for the power system."
"Do not turn on all powerful electrical appliances at the same time, postpone washing at night, and turn off lights in empty rooms. By doing so, you will help Ukrenergo avoid potential extreme measures, such as emergency power cuts for household consumers throughout Ukraine."
Kyiv introduced similar restrictions late last month following a series of similar attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that Russian attacks have damaged or destroyed over 800 heating facilities across Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine's power generation capacity has decreased by up to 8 gigawatt hours (GWh) and needs nearly $1 billion to compensate.
Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK, said on April 28 that Russian forces have targeted Ukraine's thermal power plants nearly 180 times since the full-scale war started.
Olga Aivazovska
