«It's really very difficult for us». How businesses in Mykolaiv are operating amid power cuts

Since the beginning of 2026, power outages have become more frequent in Mykolaiv. Sometimes, the city can be without electricity and heating for up to 19 hours a day. Under such conditions, small businesses have to purchase generators, reduce working hours and cover additional costs in order to keep their establishments running.

NikVesti visited cafes and shops in Mykolaiv to find out how entrepreneurs are adapting to prolonged power cuts, what difficulties they face on a daily basis, and how this affects their work.

Earlier, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitalii Kim, said that residents of the region should be prepared for the worst-case scenario — up to two hours of electricity per day.

At the same time, he said that there had been no direct damage to the energy infrastructure in the region, but the overall situation in the power system remains difficult. The official apologised to the residents of Mykolaiv for the frequent outages and noted that it is currently impossible to influence the situation.

Due to the unstable power supply, local entrepreneurs are forced to adapt to the new conditions. They face equipment malfunctions, a decrease in customer traffic, as well as additional costs for fuel and maintenance of alternative power sources.

As Mykolaiv entrepreneurs point out, they are forced to adapt to new conditions due to the unstable power supply. Prolonged power outages affect the work schedules and economic stability of their establishments, forcing them to look for ways to keep working even in difficult conditions.

Tetiana Zviadadze, director of the Shampuroff ready-made meat products store, says that due to prolonged power outages, they have already purchased a second generator. On average, they spend about 25,000 hryvnias per month on fuel. She complains that during seven-hour power cuts, the premises become very cold and the employees freeze. Because of this, they have to reduce working hours.

«It is very difficult for any business to operate right now. We already have two generators: we used to have one, now we have two. We had to reduce the working day, which meant we lost some orders because many customers come in the evening and we cannot stay open until 8 p.m. When there is no electricity for seven hours, it gets very cold in the shop. We have electric heating, and our staff suffer — the girls and boys are cold and get sick. Costs are rising because fuel is expensive — the generator alone cost more than 25,000 hryvnias. I can't imagine what will happen in January. We are holding on, but I don't even know how to continue working — it's very difficult,» says Tetiana Zviadadze.

However, the entrepreneur added that even in the event of blackouts in the city, they are ready to work part-time to meet the needs of their customers.

«No matter how difficult it is for us, I still believe that we will hold on. We will work part-time, not full-time, but we will feed our customers, because many of them are unable to cook for themselves — they also have electric heating and electric stoves. We are ready to meet people halfway: right now, profit is not the main thing, but simply to survive,» she concluded.

It is also difficult to work without electricity at the Bon Bon confectionery in Mykolaiv. Employee Tetiana Cherniavska said that due to the power outage, they cannot take orders, and there are significantly fewer customers.

«It's very difficult right now. We can't bake anything, so we have to turn down a lot of orders because we don't have enough time to make all the biscuits and cakes — we need electricity for that. The temperature in the room is +10 degrees. We are working on a generator, but our ovens cannot cope with its power, so it's difficult to work. There are far fewer customers: yesterday there was almost no one, only a few people came in. People don't come because many don't have money — they are collecting funds for generators and heaters,» said Tetiana Cherniavska.

At the same time, she does not rule out that in the event of a complete power outage, the confectionery will probably have to close temporarily, as it will be impossible to bake cakes without electricity.

Another group of entrepreneurs from Mykolaiv — the «iodonna» lingerie shop — purchased a charging station at the beginning of the power outages, which allows them to work more easily in the current conditions. Shop employee Kseniia Sokolova says that thanks to the station, the shop can operate for up to five hours during power outages.

«We purchased the charging station last year, so now we can work without interruption. When the power goes out, we turn on the heaters and warm up the premises, so we work as usual every day. Our station is designed for a large volume — it is enough for about five hours of operation with light. That is, if we work for several hours without electricity in the morning, by the evening we are already working on the station. In general, this is enough for us,» said Kseniia Sokolova.

She also noted that the number of customers has decreased slightly, but this may be due not only to power outages, but also to seasonality, as January is traditionally a less active month for business.

The situation at the Golden Angel children's clothing store is a little more difficult. Entrepreneur Tetiana Uzun says that the store has been operating since 2012, but due to prolonged power outages, it is now on the verge of closing.

«It is very difficult for us to work now because there is no heating in the premises, and children need to try on clothes. We have an energy storage device, but because the power supply is very limited, it does not have time to recharge. The air conditioners cannot cope, and even a generator cannot power them. We do not have a generator ourselves because there is no point in buying one — it cannot power the old air conditioners,» said the entrepreneur.

She also noted that there are currently almost no customers in the store. At the same time, the establishment is trying to stick to its usual working hours — from 10:00 to 18:00 — despite the low temperature in the room.

«I don't even know what to say. We are not ready for a scenario with two hours of light per day — we simply cannot cope with that. In that case, we will have to close, we will have no choice,» added Tetiana Uzun.

Thus, prolonged power outages affect small businesses in Mykolaiv in different ways. Some entrepreneurs manage to partially adapt thanks to generators or charging stations, but for others, the lack of a stable power supply is becoming critical. Entrepreneurs note that if the situation continues to deteriorate and the time between power cuts increases, many establishments may be forced to temporarily suspend operations or close down.