The major failure in the Ukrainian power grid, which led to power outages throughout the country, was most likely caused by weather conditions and frozen power lines. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this in his evening video address, quoted by UNIAN.
According to the president, the investigation is ongoing, but no signs of external interference or cyberattack have been found.
"This morning, a technological failure occurred in the network. Two lines - between Romania and Moldova and in Ukraine - stopped working. The cause is being thoroughly investigated. At the moment, there is no confirmation of external interference or cyberattacks. "More evidence suggests that the icing of the lines and the automatic shutdown were caused by weather conditions," the president said.
He noted that the most critical situation is currently in Kiev, with the blackout affecting the central and eastern parts of the country. He added that in general, the power grid has been restored to its pre-disaster state. System stabilization and restoration are currently underway.
We recall that in the early afternoon of January 31, large-scale power outages occurred in various cities in Ukraine, temporarily halting electric transport. In Kiev and Kharkiv, the movement of the metro and escalators was suspended, and in other cities, trolleybuses and suburban trains were stopped.
The former CEO of "Ukrenergo" Volodymyr Kudrytskyi noted that the massive power outages in Ukraine on January 31 were the result of a serious breakdown in the power grid, but technically this was not a national power outage. He noted that similar incidents have occurred since 2022 and the final causes will become clear only after a technical analysis.