News Alert: Ukraine Could Face Power Grid Collapse by Christmas, Plunging Millions into a Freezing Humanitarian Catastrophe

Roughly 50% of Ukrainian energy infrastructure has reportedly experienced significant damage following large-scale missile attacks in the past month, the biggest sustained attack on energy since the beginning of the war. The entire national grid could collapse within weeks if the attacks continue, leading to a deepening humanitarian catastrophe right at the onset of harsh winter conditions when energy access is critical for heat, water and other life-sustaining needs. 

These attacks leave tens of millions in the cold and dark, while long-term outages will also stop large industrial facilities such as metalworks, automobile production, and agricultural equipment from functioning - worsening skyrocketing unemployment. Businesses operating on generators during partial blackouts will have to increase prices to cover their costs, leading to reduced purchasing power for consumers where markets are functional. 

Should the national grid energy infrastructure collapse with further strikes, as appears increasingly likely, Europe could face even further waves of refugees fleeing the winter cold.

Michael Young, Mercy Corps Ukraine Response Director said:

“Ukraine’s cities will become almost unlivable over the next four months: freezing, dark, and dangerous. The implications of a collapse of Ukraine’s national energy grid are potentially catastrophic for the already dire humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Our own cash assistance program is heavily dependent on a functioning bank system reliant on a functional energy supply and the ability for people to withdraw money from their bank.

“To mitigate this risk we and our Ukrainian and international partners have to purchase more generators and power banks, and find alternative options to deliver cash and other types of support. In the coming weeks we plan to deliver cash to 4000 households to ease the burden of winter. But it’s not enough or sufficient, especially with Ukrainians facing continued bombardment. Attacks on energy are attacks on civilians. Without urgent assistance and protection of the energy grid, the need for basic goods like food, water, and heat will skyrocket as the temperatures plunge and markets falter in the dark.” 

About Mercy Corps in Ukraine

Since the escalation of conflict in 2022, Mercy Corps has supported local partners across Ukraine and neighbouring countries, providing urgent cash assistance, household, food and hygiene kits for the coming winter, and information services for newly arrived refugees to Poland. Mercy Corps previously worked in Ukraine from 2015-2017, delivering humanitarian assistance to over 200,000 following the 2014 conflict. Assistance included emergency cash, food, water and sanitation supplies, restoration of war-damaged homes, and provision of small-business development grants and training to help people earn income and support themselves and their families.