Kyiv — A technical failure on cross-border transmission lines triggered widespread power outages across Ukraine on Saturday, disrupting public transport and water supplies in the capital and spilling over into neighboring Moldova. Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said the incident occurred at 10:42 a.m. local time, when a 400-kilovolt line linking Romania and Moldova and a 750-kilovolt line connecting western and central Ukraine were disconnected simultaneously. The account was corroborated by AFP.
The dual outage caused cascading failures across Ukraine’s grid, activating automatic protection systems at substations. Emergency load-shedding schedules were introduced in Kyiv and several regions to prevent further instability.
Nuclear Units and Emergency Measures
Shmyhal said some nuclear power units were temporarily disconnected or downrated to safeguard equipment. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed he had been briefed and ordered authorities to stabilize the system as quickly as possible.
In Kyiv, metro services were suspended, and water supply was temporarily halted, underscoring the dependence of urban services on uninterrupted electricity. Kharkiv’s metro also stopped operations for technical reasons.
Moldova Affected, Then Restored
Moldova’s Energy Ministry reported short-term outages in Chișinău and other areas, including traffic signal failures. Citing Le Monde, officials said transmission was fully restored by mid-afternoon, with consumers reconnected gradually.
A Fragile System Under Strain
Ukraine’s grid has been severely degraded by months of attacks on power plants and transformers, heightening sensitivity to technical faults. Utility DTEK warned that restoration must proceed gradually to avoid overloads. By late afternoon, authorities confirmed power had returned to critical infrastructure in Kyiv and several regions, with further restoration underway.