Energy emergency extended to heating, water and communications
Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers has extended emergency measures in the energy sector to heating and water supply, as well as electronic communications networks, internet services and data centres.
Ukrinform reports this, citing government Resolution No. 1292 of October 16, 2026.
Who will oversee the work?
The Minister for Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport has been appointed to oversee emergency response operations involving heating, water supply, wastewater disposal and infrastructure.
The Minister of Digital Transformation will lead operations involving electronic communications networks, internet access infrastructure and data centres.
The ministers responsible for these areas must immediately establish a joint emergency response headquarters.
The headquarters will be jointly led by:
- the First Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Energy;
- the Minister for Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport;
- the Minister of Digital Transformation.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation will monitor the condition of networks, oversee the exchange of information about threats and damage, and coordinate restoration work.
To this end, the ministry will cooperate with the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection, the National Commission for State Regulation of Electronic Communications, Radio Frequency Spectrum and the Provision of Postal Services (NCEC), the State Emergency Service (SES), military administrations and local authorities.
Communications during power outages
As previously reported, the Cabinet of Ministers’ action programme sets a target for 2026–2027: ensuring that at least 70% of mobile base stations can operate for at least 72 hours without mains electricity.
In early July, the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission approved draft amendments to the retail electricity market rules to support uninterrupted communications during air raid alerts.
Earlier, in March 2026, inspections of mobile operators identified violations in some regions of Ukraine. The inspections found that far from all of the companies’ base stations were equipped with adequate backup power systems to operate during power outages.
At the end of December last year, the Cabinet of Ministers changed the operating rules for "Points of Invincibility" to ensure that every Ukrainian could stay connected even during blackouts. Since then, each point has been required to have internet access that can operate without mains power, using xPON technology or Starlink terminals.
For its part, Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation explained how to use national roaming during power outages or attacks on energy infrastructure, when mobile networks may be unavailable.
At a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff in late October last year, the authorities set new requirements for mobile operators’ ability to operate without mains power. Intensifying attacks on energy infrastructure meant that the networks’ existing capacity to operate for 8–10 hours without electricity might prove insufficient.
The new requirements call for increasing the number of base stations equipped with generators, as batteries would not have enough time to recharge during prolonged outages. The proportion of stations that must be equipped with generators will vary by region.
In early November last year, the Ministry of Digital Transformation invited businesses and responsible citizens to use their generators to power operators’ base stations in return for payment, so that Ukrainians could call an ambulance, receive emergency alerts and contact loved ones during blackouts.
Compensation initially ranged from UAH 110 to UAH 140 per hour. Later, the rate for operating a diesel generator was increased to UAH 172 per hour, while the rate for a petrol generator rose to UAH 287 per hour. Higher rates were provided for frontline areas: UAH 197 per hour for diesel generators and UAH 330 per hour for petrol generators.
However, mobile operators said the initiative had not gained popularity.
