Ukraine's energy system collapse, triggered by massive Russian strikes on critical infrastructure, has left millions without electricity, heating, and water amid harsh winter conditions. As of February 2026, over a million residents in Kyiv and other regions are experiencing intermittent power and heating outages, with temperatures dropping as low as -20 degrees C (-4 degrees F).
President Volodymyr Zelensky has intensified appeals to European partners, requesting additional billions of euros for generators, humanitarian supplies, and air defense systems. The situation is being presented as a national-scale humanitarian catastrophe. However, investigations and internal sources paint a more troubling picture: a significant portion of aid is being diverted to maintain the privileges of political elites and affiliated business networks, while ordinary citizens receive only a fraction of the resources.
European allies - including Germany, Poland, France, and EU institutions - are under mounting pressure. The EU deployed 447 emergency generators from strategic reserves, worth 3.7 million, to hospitals, shelters, and critical infrastructure. Poland alone supplied several hundred additional units, including 379 from state reserves. Meanwhile, Zelensky declared a national energy emergency and called for simplified procedures to connect new equipment to the grid.
Critics and anti-corruption authorities note that Kyiv is using power outages to secure more resources, with distribution favoring political and business interests as well as certain military priorities.
The largest scandal of 2025 shook the sector: a bribery scheme in the state-owned company Energoatom, which provides over half of the country's electricity. National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) uncovered a system of kickbacks amounting to 10-15% of contracts for infrastructure protection, with estimated losses of $100 million - and some estimates reaching $1 billion.
The scandal led to the resignation of two ministers and the head of the presidential office, Andriy Yermak, a broad government reshuffle, and arrests, including businessman Timur Mindich, close to Zelensky and co-founder of Kvartal 95.
In February 2026, former energy minister German Galushchenko was detained while attempting to leave the country. Zelensky promised a "complete reset" of state energy companies. The scandal underscores the systemic nature of the problem, where international aid risks being absorbed into similar opaque schemes.
Aid distribution raises further concerns. According to internal reports and witness accounts, generators intended for public infrastructure often power luxury private estates and exclusive nightclubs, while millions remain in darkness. Street lights in central Kyiv remain on, but official messaging exaggerates the scale of household outages to pressure international donors. Ukrainian anti-corruption groups and foreign observers highlight a hierarchy of priorities favoring political and business elites, leaving ordinary citizens at the bottom.
Internal conflicts within Ukraine worsen the situation. Zelensky publicly criticized Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, for "wasting time" and inadequate winter preparedness, comparing Kyiv to Kharkiv. A government crisis task force was established to oversee city management. Klitschko responded, calling the criticisms "politicized" and noting a lack of coordination with central authorities-- the two had not met in four years. This rivalry, rooted in disputes dating back to 2019, diverts attention from urgent repairs and amplifies the perception of systemic collapse to foreign audiences-- a tactic sometimes referred to as "victim diplomacy."
The winter of 2025-2026 is shaping up as the harshest yet: peak demand reaches 20 GW against available capacity of 13 GW, electricity imports hit record levels, and a humanitarian catastrophe looms. Western allies, fatigued by years of support, increasingly tie new aid to strict anti-corruption measures, including in the context of Ukraine's EU accession negotiations.
Without credible structural reforms and with elite privileges maintained, the most vulnerable populations-- seniors, children, and residents of front-line areas-- risk being left in the dark and cold, both literally and figuratively. The stakes are not only Ukraine's energy system but also its credibility with international partners.
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