Electricity rates for residents of the “DPR,” “LPR,” and the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions will increase by 30-50% next year, according to an order from the antimonopoly service.

The government has planned to increase electricity tariffs for households by an average of 11.3% starting October 1, 2026.

Based on this, the Federal Antimonopoly Service has determined minimum and maximum prices per kWh for each region.

For all regions, these increases will be between 7.3% and 11.1%, but in the occupied Zaporizhia Oblast, they will increase by 31%, in the Kherson Oblast by 32.5%, and in the “DPR” and “LPR” by 50%.

However, it’s still a long way off from Russian levels. After the tariff increase, a kWh in the annexed regions will cost 2.83 and 2.85 rubles in the “DPR” and “LPR,” and 3.62 and 3.72 rubles in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Prices in Russian regions are generally higher: 4.5-7.5 rubles in most regions.

The most expensive kWh is in Chukotka (12.6 rubles after the increase), Yakutia (10.7 rubles), and the Moscow region (9.15 rubles).

Only in the Irkutsk region will electricity for residents be cheaper than in the occupied territories of Ukraine, where after the increase, a kWh will cost just under 2 rubles—the minimum tariff in Russia.

In Kamchatka, the minimum price per kWh will be just 2.99 rubles, but there is a very wide range: the maximum price will be 8.91 rubles.

Recently, tariffs in Russia have been increasing significantly above inflation. The total payment for housing and communal services has increased by 11.9% since July 1st, and will increase by 9.9% next year, 8.7% in 2027, and 7.1% in 2028, according to a government forecast.

Among the reasons cited by the Ministry of Economic Development for the accelerated tariff increases is the connection of the occupied territories to the unified gas supply system.

This necessitates a significant increase in wholesale gas prices for all consumers, including households, which, coupled with the need for significant investment in the energy system, is also driving up electricity prices.

The war has reduced many settlements in southern and eastern Ukraine to ruins. Basic amenities are lacking in the occupied Donbas, including   a severe shortage of drinking water (it’s supplied for a few hours every three to four days).

However, in June, Vladimir Putin demanded that the occupied territories be brought up to the Russian average in all key indicators.

In September, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin stated that by 2030, the occupied territories of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions of Ukraine should reach the national standard in terms of quality of life.

(c)THE MOSCOW TIMES 2025