January 16, 2026 

A major air defense aid package has arrived in Ukraine to help defend its stricken energy infrastructure as the country-wide winter energy crisis deepens, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 16.

The arrival of the package, further details about which were not disclosed, came at a point when several of the surface-to-air missile systems in Ukraine were left “without missiles,” the Ukrainian president said.

Each successive delivery of extra air defense support from Ukraine’s partners is being begged and fought for, said Zelensky, who noted that Ukraine’s needs extended far beyond the well-known U.S.-built Patriot system.

Ukraine is loosening curfew restrictions to allow citizens to reach humanitarian aid centers even at nighttime amid an ongoing energy crisis caused by Russian attacks, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Jan. 16.

“This is necessary so that everyone who currently has no electricity, water, or heat receives the necessary assistance,” Shmyhal explained during a meeting in the parliament, noting that similar rules are already in effect during air raid alerts.

A curfew was introduced in Ukraine alongside martial law at the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022, largely prohibiting citizens from being outside during specific hours.

The curfew length varies across regions. In Kyiv and most other regions away from the front line, it lasts from midnight until 5 a.m. President Volodymyr Zelensky signaled upcoming changes in the rules earlier this week.

The news follows days of sustained Russian drone and missile attacks against the energy grid in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine, leaving citizens without heat and electricity for an extended period amid freezing temperatures.

The unprecedented energy crisis continues to afflict the most of the nation’s population centers, especially the capital, where even maximum temperatures currently fail to climb higher than -10 degrees Celsius.

The resulting hardships and dangers have affected millions of Ukrainians, with heating cut to a minimum and indoor temperatures plummet, while regular non-scheduled power outages greatly limit alternative options for staying warm.

“I’ve recently come back to Kyiv after three years abroad, and this winter feels like the worst I have ever seen while I was visiting,” said Lisa Sokolova, a 24-year-old communications manager based in the capital to the Kyiv Independent.

“Life has become critically unpredictable, it is impossible to plan even an evening or the next day. You never know if there will be heat, water, light, and the ability to work or cook.”

Ukrainian authorities have declared a state of emergency to tackle the consequences and alleviate humanitarian challenges facing the population.

In Kyiv, city authorities announced on Jan. 10 a significant dialling down in outdoor light output, with most streets lights reduced to 20% power and any decorative lighting switched off entirely.

Shmyhal also instructed state companies, namely Ukrainian Railways and the energy company Naftogaz, to ensure electricity supply from abroad for the current winter in the amount of no less than 50% of total consumption.

Backup energy equipment is being distributed across regions to address the critical needs of essential infrastructure, the minister noted.

In addition to air defense support Ukraine’s partners continue to supply Kyiv with emergency aid directed both at repairing energy infrastructure and mitigating the humanitarian effects of the crisis.

The U.K. allocated 20 million pounds ($26.8 million) of accelerated funding for “energy infrastructure support” on Jan. 16 while Italy has begun the delivery of industrial boilers with 1.85 million euros ($2.15 million) for the worst-affected areas, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said.

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said that since October 2025, Russian forces have targeted 11 hydroelectric power plants, 45 major combined heat and power plants, 49 thermal power plants, and 151 electrical substations across the country.

The heaviest strikes were recorded in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, as well as the Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Chernihiv oblasts.

The intensified attacks also come at a time when Kyiv remains under significant pressure to accept capitulatory concessions as a basis for a potential peace deal with Moscow.

“I think this is a strategy of exhaustion and demoralization, it’s really exhausting but despite everything, I want to stay in Kyiv and maybe to take a “break” in safer cities in Ukraine,” said Sokolova.

“At the same time, I understand that capitulation will make things worse — we will lose the opportunity for justice without guarantees of safety.”

https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-eases-curfew-rules-amid-deepening-energy-crisis