Ukraine faces worsening power cuts as Russia targets its energy infrastructure. For Tetiana, whose son relies on electricity-powered medical equipment, the blackouts are life-threatening. "We are very dependent on electricity. If it wasn't for this bloody war, life would be difficult, but we'd be able to cope,” Tetiana tells the BBC.
Frequent power outages mean Ukrainians must adapt to life without electricity for hours every day. In Odesa, Tetiana struggles to keep her generator running and worries about reaching emergency services when her son has convulsions. "My son can die if he doesn't get oxygen," she says. Recent blackouts in her neighborhood have lasted up to 12 hours a day.
Across Ukraine, millions face similar challenges. The national energy company, Ukrenergo, reports a loss of nine gigawatts of generating capacity in the past three months—over a third of pre-invasion levels. "All state-owned thermal power plants are destroyed. All hydropower plants in our country are damaged by Russian missiles or drones," says Ukrenergo spokeswoman Maria Tsaturian.
In Kyiv, residents like Roksolana, who helps run her 24-storey apartment block, face additional hardships. "The lifts are not working, so mothers with children and disabled people have to wait. They've got to stay indoors for six hours on end," she explains. Without running water and air conditioning, living conditions deteriorate, especially for the elderly and those unable to access bomb shelters during air raids.
In Zaporizhzhia, dentist Volodymyr Stefaniv reschedules appointments due to power cuts. During surgeries, he relies on generators and head torches, skills honed on the front lines treating soldiers. "We start our generators to finish what we have started. There's no other way. We've learnt to perform surgery without electricity," he says.
Maria Tsaturian acknowledges the frustration directed at Ukrenergo but emphasizes the necessity of power cuts. "We are at war. The energy sector is a target for Russian terrorists. Destroying the power grid means no economy and no life. This is the price we pay for freedom," she states.