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Moldova Suffers Blackouts Amid Consequences of Russian Strikes on Ukraine’s Power Grid
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Parts of Moldova experienced a widespread blackout on January 31 due to a voltage drop on a cross-border high-voltage power line linked to Ukraine’s grid, according to Moldovan officials.
According to Moldova’s Minister of Energy Dorin Jurgiuetu, a sudden drop in voltage occurred at 10:42 a.m. local time on the 400 kV Isaccea–Vulcănești–MGRES transmission line, which connects Ukraine and Moldova.
In a statement published on the Ministry’s official Facebook page and cited by NewsMaker, the voltage loss triggered an emergency shutdown of parts of Moldova’s electrical grid.
Jurgiuetu stated that “serious problems in Ukraine’s power grid” were the root cause of the blackout. Moldova’s transmission system operator, Moldelectrica, launched immediate emergency recovery efforts.
The company later confirmed that electricity was gradually being restored in several affected areas.
The blackout impacted several Moldovan cities and towns, including the capital Chișinău and its suburbs, as well as the regions of Taraclia, Cahul, and Anenii Noi.
The mayor of Chișinău, Ion Ceban, reported that most of the capital lost power, disrupting public transportation and traffic management. Trolleybuses stopped running and traffic lights went offline, leading to significant delays. Mobile networks also faced temporary outages.
According to Moldova’s Customs Service, multiple border crossing points and the agency’s central office experienced power loss. Emergency generators were activated where available.
The blackout in Moldova coincided with emergency power outages across several regions of Ukraine, including Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Odesa. Kyiv’s metro system temporarily halted train services and escalators due to voltage loss from external substations, according to the Kyiv City Administration.
These disruptions were caused by the strain relentless Russian attacks have placed on Ukraine’s energy grid, which continues to suffer from infrastructure damage and instability.
Ukraine’s energy company DTEK reported that the outages were implemented under instructions from Ukrenergo, the national grid operator, as a response to a sudden system imbalance. In some areas, residents also faced water supply and heating interruptions.
Ukraine and Moldova remain connected via multiple high-voltage transmission lines. The Isaccea–Vulcănești–MGRES line is a critical component of this interconnection, and outages on either side can affect the stability of both national grids.
Since 2022, Moldova has increasingly relied on imports of electricity from Ukraine and Romania, particularly during times of high demand or supply disruptions.
The Moldovan blackout also occurred days after US President Donald Trump said he had asked Russia to pause strikes on Ukrainian cities “for humanitarian reasons,” though no official truce has been confirmed.
Trump previously stated that he made the request directly to “the Russian side” and claimed it had been accepted. However, he did not clarify when the pause was agreed upon or when it would take effect, leaving the timeline and scope of the reported arrangement uncertain.
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