WASHINGTON, December 15. /TASS/. Ukraine’s energy system is on the verge of collapse, with strikes threatening to completely disable the east-west power transmission systems, effectively splitting the country in two, The Washington Post (WP) reported, citing sources.

"We are, if not at the brink" of a complete blackout in the east of the country "then very close to it," an unnamed European diplomat told the newspaper.

According to The Washington Post, experts agree that things have been particularly bad for Ukraine lately. "We are one step from a [full] blackout in Kiev now," a source told the newspaper.

Recently, Ukraine has moved to daily rolling blackout schedules for the nation, leaving some people without power for 12 to 16 hours a day. Industrial enterprises are under constant power restrictions. According to Stanislav Ignatiev, head of the board of the Ukrainian Association of Renewable Energy, the blackouts could continue until early April.

Since November, Ukraine has regularly reported new explosions and damage at energy facilities. Before February 2022, the capacity of Ukraine's energy system was about 56 GW. According to early November 2025 data, the total capacity of the country's energy system may have dropped to 13.13 GW, below the minimum 15 GW needed during the winter period, rising to 18 GW during peak loads.