Ivan and Valentina Zalutsky, a retired couple from Oleshky, Kherson region, have been living in a modular center for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kyiv region for almost three years. They were evacuated there in 2023 after Russian troops destroyed the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, causing massive flooding in cities and villages. The couple survived by hiding on the roof of their house. They lost everything and were later evacuated to Kyiv region. In the winter of 2026, the organization “Doctors Without Borders” (MSF) provided the center with hygiene kits to help residents wash and clean during prolonged power outages, when even basic everyday tasks – cooking, heating rooms or taking a shower – were a real challenge.
Like millions of people across Ukraine, the Zalutskys have experienced one of the harshest winters the country has ever seen, with temperatures dropping to -20 °C, and frequent power outages and heating disruptions.
The spring of 2026 brings short-term relief to people in Ukraine, but the level of destruction of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure by Russian troops remains critical. People continue to face the consequences of power outages, which are expected to worsen in the summer months, when the increased use of refrigerators and air conditioners will put additional strain on the power grid.
As of early 2026, most of Ukraine’s major thermal and hydroelectric power plants have been damaged. Nuclear power plants have also reduced their production capacity due to attacks. According to the International Energy Agency, Ukraine is unable to produce more than half of the electricity it needs. To meet demand, the country is increasingly relying on generators and importing electricity from EU countries.
MSF teams continue to respond to the energy crisis in Ukraine, providing support to medical and social facilities with charging stations and inverter systems designed to provide uninterrupted power during prolonged outages.
Kyiv City Clinical Hospital No. 10, which provides care to over 300 inpatients and thousands of people who attend outpatient consultations, turned to MSF for support to ensure uninterrupted power supply for its operating rooms and intensive care units.
“This medical facility was equipped with powerful inverter and battery systems capable of autonomously powering parts of the hospital for an extended period, even during outages,” says Jan Minua, MSF project coordinator. “MSF also assessed the state of the electrical networks. A significant part of the infrastructure was outdated and in poor condition, so it was replaced with modern equipment in the areas where inverters and batteries were installed and connected. This was a matter of life and death.”
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Between January and April 2026, MSF ensured that 12 medical and social facilities in Kyiv and Vinnytsia regions had autonomous power supply systems. In response to requests from hospitals supported by MSF and located near the front line in Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions, humanitarian aid was also provided in the winter of 2026 to help these facilities cope with the cold weather. This included generators, portable heaters, voltage stabilizers, and modern distribution panels.
“One of the main problems in Ukraine is the unstable power supply, which creates significant difficulties for medical and social facilities,” explains Artem Kovtun, MSF logistics manager. “Staff at many hospitals and care facilities tell us that, although they have generators provided by the authorities, fuel supplies are very limited. As a result, generators are only used in the most critical situations. Our donations include batteries and inverters that help facilities have electricity when generators cannot be used, particularly during emergency or planned prolonged power outages.”
During power outages, transporting patients in critical condition to operating rooms or ensuring that people with disabilities can safely move from their rooms to the toilet can become extremely difficult.
“We run a home for the elderly and people with special needs,” says Antonina Rogozovets, director of a care facility that is an MSF partner and received assistance. “We currently have 173 people living here, many of whom are elderly. For us, it is vital that the corridors remain lit, and all equipment continues to work even during prolonged power outages. We needed charging stations, like the ones donated by MSF, so that residents can safely move around the corridors to the medical room or toilet in the evening or at night. For these people, it means freedom of movement.”
MSF is calling for an end to systematic attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which are depriving millions of people of electricity, clean water, and basic services. Uninterrupted power supply is a basic and vital condition for the functioning of medical and social facilities, where some of the most vulnerable segments of the country’s population live.
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