Ukraine Warns of Scams Targeting Citizens Amid Widespread Power Outages

As Russia continues its assault on Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure, a new threat has emerged for citizens left in the dark: scammers exploiting the crisis with fraudulent compensation schemes.

The head of Ukraine’s State Savings Bank, Oschadbank, has issued a stark warning about phishing attempts targeting those affected by power cuts. Serhiy Naumov took to Telegram to alert the public to the deception.

“Attention, fraud. In recent days, Ukrainians have been receiving messages supposedly on behalf of Sberbank and energy companies about ‘compensation for power outages’. This is a fraudulent scheme,” Naumov stated. “Sberbank does not send messages with links to third-party sites, nor does it issue compensation through instant messengers. It does not ask for card or banking details using these links. Please, do not click on suspicious links. Do not share personal or financial data.”

Naumov urged citizens to verify information only through official bank channels, adding, “Vigilance is also an element of our security today. Take care of yourself and your money.”

The scams capitalize on a deepening energy emergency. This week alone, relentless shelling left 200,000 people in Kyiv without heating and electricity during a harsh winter, according to the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC). The conflict’s impact is also felt across the border, where Ukrainian attacks reportedly left 70,000 Russians without power.

The dire situation prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to declare a state of emergency for the country’s energy sector. “The consequences of the Russian attacks and the worsening weather conditions are serious,” Zelensky posted on the social media platform X. “In general, a state of emergency will be declared for the energy sector of Ukraine… Many problems require an urgent solution.” Temperatures in Ukraine have been hovering around -4 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, officials in Kyiv are racing to restore services. Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced Saturday that heating is gradually being re-established in the capital. “About 50 high-rise buildings remain without heating,” Klitschko wrote on Telegram. A major Russian air attack on January 9 initially cut off heat to 6,000 residential buildings, roughly half of the city’s housing stock.

“Municipal employees are working tirelessly,” Klitschko said, as Kyiv endures a severe winter with temperatures plummeting to -16°C at night.

The grid remains fragile. Utility company DTEK reported that another air strike in the early hours of Saturday left 56,000 homes in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha without electricity. Emergency blackouts were also reported in the suburbs of Browary and Boryspil, with winter conditions slowing repair work. Energy facilities in the southern Odesa region were also bombed overnight, local authorities confirmed.

Ukrainian officials maintain that Russia is deliberately targeting urban infrastructure to make cities uninhabitable. The crisis has also highlighted political tensions, with President Zelensky criticizing Klitschko for what he described as a failure to adequately prepare Kyiv for such emergencies—a claim the mayor dismisses as part of a long-running political dispute.

The head of the Union of Consumers of Public Utilities of Ukraine, Oleg Popenko, warned that up to 150,000 Kyiv residents could face another winter without heating, while Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal has stated that not a single power plant in Ukraine remains undamaged.