Feb. 21, 2026, 6:47 p.m.
(IMAGE: WP screenshot)
Alarming forecasts from the military, massive shelling amid freezing temperatures, and fears in the Polish media about possible blackouts in Poland. This is how our European neighbors wrote about the energy crisis in Ukraine caused by Russian attacks.
The Ukrainian blackouts are not a temporary inconvenience, Polish journalists said. So now, for the Polish reader, this is not news from somewhere far away from home, but clear signals of a threat that is already crossing Polish borders. And this is not surprising, because at the beginning of the year, the Polish power grid suffered a cyberattack, so experts were assessing the risk of a complete blackout and the country's readiness for it.
Mostly, Polish publications wrote about the situation in the capital, but they also mentioned Odesa, where the difficult situation with electricity was exacerbated by icy conditions. Of course, the events in Moldova were also alarming: the blackout in this country shows that the energy networks of Eastern Europe are interconnected, and the northern neighbor is ready to do everything to further destabilize the situation in the region.
Wirtualna Polska (WP) emphasizes Russia's targeted strategy, which since October 2025 has shifted the focus of attacks to life support infrastructure. The journalists emphasize that the strikes on power plants and heating networks are aimed not only at blackouts, but also at psychological pressure on society.
The journalists illustrated the material with a photo from Kyiv, where people are standing in line for warm food.
IMAGE: WP screenshot
The publication also quotes a Polish general, former deputy chief of staff of the Polish Army, Leon Komornicki, who gives a rather gloomy forecast. In his opinion, the enemy's main goal is to "break the spirit and will of Ukrainian society to defend itself." Komornicki also points to a critical problem that complicates the situation: "There is a clear crisis in air defense."
The Polish media draws attention to the fact that the Ukrainian energy system is now vulnerable not only to missiles, but also to natural factors. TVN24, citing Odesa authorities, reports on large-scale blackouts in southern Ukraine caused by icy power lines. In addition, the outlet quotes Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who writes about the lack of water in Kyiv and emphasizes that the problem with electricity has seriously affected neighboring Moldova.
The Onet portal develops this theme by talking about the interdependence of Eastern European energy systems. The publication reports that problems in the Ukrainian grid (voltage drops) led to emergency blackouts in neighboring Moldova, while in Odesa, electricity was supplied only to critical infrastructure.
A well-known Polish newspaper, Gazeta Wyborcza, also notes the problem in Moldova and emphasizes that peace talks against the backdrop of horrific Russian attacks are a "farce." The newspaper has a correspondent in Kyiv and illustrates its materials with photographs: a dark city, a line for a warm dinner, and people in blankets hiding in the subway.
IMAGE: screenshot of "Gazeta Wyborcza"
Despite the difficult situation, Polish observers note the systematic work of the Ukrainian government to strengthen the energy independence of citizens. OKO.press illustrates the article with a photo from a destroyed power plant and emphasizes that power engineers are working around the clock, and Ukrainians are expecting Russian attacks and severe frosts. The article also describes in detail the measures introduced under the state of emergency in the energy sector: providing grants to condominiums (from 100 to 300 thousand UAH) for the purchase of generators and inverters, simplifying procedures for installing solar panels, protecting vulnerable groups, and providing portable charging stations for children with disabilities to power medical equipment.
IMAGE: OKO.press screenshot
The journalists also asked the expert whether it would have been possible to prepare for this situation. Svyatoslav Pavliuk, executive director of the Association of Energy Efficient Cities of Ukraine, concluded that the Russians have too many missiles, and Ukrainians lack air defense. "The greatest damage to critical facilities was done when Ukrainian defenders simply ran out of air defense missiles," he commented.
It seems that the energy crisis has led to another warming in relations between Ukraine and Poland.
For example, the Polish media actively reported how, following the decision of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the Government Agency for Strategic Reserves (RARS) allocated 379 generators and 18 heaters for public needs. The first batch of 230 generators has already arrived in Ukraine, TVN24 reports.
"Darkness and freezing cold," Gazeta Wyborcza describes the situation in Ukraine. But help is on the way, the journalists write.
OKO.press quotes Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko as saying that such actions are an example of unity between Ukrainians and Poles.
The silence or specific rhetoric of the Polish right-wing political wing, for example, representatives of the Konfederacja party, is interesting. While the liberal and center-left media write about the real threat and the need for air defense, right-wing outlets often ignore the humanitarian aspect of the crisis. Their attention is usually shifted to their own economic interests: supporting the blocking of the border with Ukraine or criticizing the EU's Green Deal.
Such coverage of Ukraine by the media of our western neighbors shows that the Polish government fears a repeat of the Ukrainian energy scenario. They do not conceal the complexity of the situation, pointing to the shortage of air defense capabilities and the ferocity of Russian attacks, especially against the backdrop of repeated violations of Polish airspace by Russian drones during a series of attacks on Ukraine. And it is this objective, sometimes harsh, picture in the media that encourages the Polish government to act quickly, sending the necessary assistance without unnecessary discussions and long bureaucratic approvals.
Наталія Стеблина, Олександр Моторний