Ukrainian industry increased electricity consumption by 27% in January

Source: Ukraine’s energy ministry

Due to the stable operation of the energy system, Ukrainian industry increased electricity consumption by more than 27% in January.

This winter, Ukrainian industry consumes significantly more electricity than last year.

In particular, in January, enterprises consumed 27.2% more than in the same period last year.

Electricity consumption by the population also increased.

In January 2024, household consumers used 13.5% more electricity than in the same period of 2023.

‘It’s been a year that Ukrainians have been living without hourly blackout schedules. We are finishing this winter stably – with light and warmth, despite all the negative forecasts. We managed to achieve this thanks to the strengthening of air defense and a large-scale repair campaign in energy, which will continue in the future,’ said energy minister Herman Halushchenko.

The result of the large-scale repair campaign is the stable operation of the electricity generation during the past year.

In general, electricity was produced in January 2024 by almost 23% more than in the same period of 2023.

In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.

During the GLOBSEC Defence Forum 2026 in Prague, representatives of “Steel Front”, an initiative by Rinat Akhmetov, discussed with NATO delegations, military officials, and representatives of the European defense industry the lessons learned from Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

After the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine witnessed an unprecedented wave of private support for the army. Citizens, big businesses, charitable foundations, and international philanthropists began financing the country’s defense alongside state assistance provided by international partners. Estimates of total private contributions range from tens to hundreds of billions of hryvnias. However, determining the exact amount remains difficult. In many cases, companies combine military aid, humanitarian programs, tax payments, social spending, and employee support in their reporting.

Rinat Akhmetov’s military initiative, “Steel Front”, has delivered a batch of drones worth UAH 214 million to the 1st “Azov” Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. This shipment is part of the Metinvest Group’s ongoing support for the unit in 2025.

On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.