Kyiv could cut power outages to 4 hours within a week, expert says

Kyiv could return to significantly shorter power outages within a week if repair crews can work uninterrupted, according to energy expert Oleksandr Kharchenko, who also said Mayor Vitali Klitschko exaggerated threats to water supply. Kharchenko stated Kyiv fully depends on high-voltage substations as the city has no internal generation, but protection has worked: only one transformer was destroyed out of 235 protected objects. He said outages could drop to four hours or disappear entirely under favorable conditions. The expert noted Russian drones deliberately block repairs at key substations, though similar challenges were overcome in 2024. Kyiv has a triple water supply system, making major disruption unlikely. However, equipment reserves may run out within months due to slow European deliveries.