Jan 22 (Reuters) - Ukraine's energy system on Thursday endured its most difficult day since a widespread blackout hit the network in November 2022 and the situation remains "extremely difficult," Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

Russia has long targeted Ukraine's energy system in the nearly four-year-old war, but the attacks have intensified in recent months, inflicting heavy damage on networks and knocking out power and heating to large swathes of the population.

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Two nights of strikes on the capital Kyiv this month have cut power to thousands of apartment buildings.

Shmyhal, who is also first deputy prime minister, said the latest difficulties were caused by a series of factors, citing constant shelling as well as damage to generating equipment and transformers.

"Today in Ukraine was the most difficult day for the power system since the blackout of November 2022," he wrote.

"The situation is extremely difficult. Crews have been obliged to keep resorting to emergency shutdowns."

Conditions were most difficult, he said, in Kyiv and the surrounding region and in southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region.

A total of 165 emergency brigades were working during the day in the capital, which Shmyhal said had just lived through the 2,000th air raid alert since the Kremlin launched its invasion in February 2022.

Their operations were compounded by wintry weather, with night-time temperatures dipping to -10 Celsius (14 Fahrenheit).

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 2,600 apartment buildings were still without heat two days after the latest overnight attacks, while 600 buildings have had their heating restored.

Power cuts remained in effect, though water supplies were fully restored, he said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy declared a state of emergency in the energy sector last week and called on the government to come up with a plan to address disruptions.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Thursday after a daily meeting devoted to energy issues that efforts were being made to provide Kyiv residents with alternative energy sources and generators.

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/ukrainian-energy-minister-says-power-system-had-most-difficult-day-since-late-2026-01-22/