Ukraine is loosening curfew restrictions to allow citizens to reach humanitarian aid centers even at nighttime amid an ongoing energy crisis caused by Russian attacks, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Jan. 16.
“This is necessary so that everyone who currently has no electricity, water, or heat receives the necessary assistance,” Shmyhal explained during a meeting in the parliament, noting that similar rules are already in effect during air raid alerts.
A curfew was introduced in Ukraine alongside martial law at the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022, largely prohibiting citizens from being outside during specific hours.
The curfew length varies across regions. In Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, it lasts from midnight until 5 a.m. President Volodymyr Zelensky signaled upcoming changes in the rules earlier this week.
The news follows days of sustained Russian drone and missile attacks against the energy grid in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine, leaving citizens without heat and electricity for an extended period amid freezing temperatures.
Ukrainian authorities have declared a state of emergency to tackle the consequences and alleviate humanitarian challenges facing the population.
Shmyhal also instructed state companies, namely Ukrainian Railways and the energy company Naftogaz, to ensure electricity supply from abroad for the current winter in the amount of no less than 50% of total consumption.
Backup energy equipment is being distributed across regions to address the critical needs of essential infrastructure, the minister noted.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said that since October 2025, Russian forces have targeted 11 hydroelectric power plants, 45 major combined heat and power plants, 49 thermal power plants, and 151 electrical substations across the country.
The heaviest strikes were recorded in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, as well as the Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Chernihiv oblasts.
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