When the power goes out, risks increase: how blackouts affect women living with HIV in Ukraine

Since autumn 2025, prolonged power outages have once again become part of everyday life in many Ukrainian cities. In early 2026, the situation escalated further: after the Russian Armed Forces  mass attacks on energy infrastructure in the southern regions, some communities were left without electricity, heating and water supply for long hours and days. 

As part of these attacks, Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk region experienced one of the largest strikes since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The city was hit by ballistic missiles and drones, causing emergency power outages in some neighbourhoods. 

Blackouts affect everyone. However, for women living with HIV, power outages often mean not only household or work related disruptions, but also additional risks: it becomes harder to adhere to a treatment schedule, access examinations or consultations on time, and sometimes even to maintain confidentiality in public places where people charge their phones and other devices. 

We spoke with Iryna Pozhar, a 38 year old woman living with HIV from Kryvyi Rih. She works as a case manager and paralegal with the NGO Positive Women within a joint project of UN Women Ukraine and the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF). 

3 to 5 hours of electricity per day: how outages affect everyday life and work 

Iryna lives in Kryvyi Rih with her husband and two sons. The children study online, so when the electricity goes out, the home internet often disappears as well. On average, there is power for only 3 to 5 hours a day, and the family has to distribute these short “windows” between studying, household tasks, and work. The stress is compounded by the fact that published outage schedules do not always match what happens in reality. 

“My younger son goes to sports training, and after every session his clothes need washing. But because there is often no electricity, the laundry just keeps piling up,” she says. 

Within the project, Iryna provides counselling, accompanies women to health care facilities, and helps them access the services they need, including restoring documents, receiving free secondary legal aid, and getting psychological support. 

Iryna Pozhar at the NGO “Positive Women” office in Kryvyi Rih during a consultation with a client. Photo: NGO “Positive Women” / Vladyslav Durniev

The organisation’s office has a charging station, but that does not always guarantee stable work. A consultation or an accompaniment visit can fall through because woman may have no connection. 

“We might agree on a meeting in advance, but she also has very little electricity, and she may not manage to charge her phone. So we simply can’t reach each other,” Iryna explains. 

A significant part of the work, including documentation and reporting, is done online. So what becomes critical is not only power for devices, but also a stable internet connection. 

“If the power is out for a long time, Wi Fi becomes unstable. Mobile internet does not always work well either,” she adds. 

According to Iryna, the constant unpredictability of blackouts turns every basic work task into an additional source of stress. 

How power outages affect adherence to treatment 

Women living with HIV need to take antiretroviral therapy regularly, at the same time every day. During blackouts, this routine can be disrupted if a phone runs out of charge, reminders do not work, or there is no way to check the time. 

Iryna recalls missing a dose once not because she forgot about her medication. 

“I remembered I had to take my pills at ten in the evening. But my phone had run out of charge, there was no electricity, and I simply didn’t know what time it was.” 

Iryna stresses that a one off disruption does not always have immediate consequences, but repeated breaks in the schedule can lead to resistance. 

“Then the therapy stops being effective, and you need to switch to another regimen. And there aren’t that many regimens available in Ukraine,” she explains. 

Access to doctors, tests, and medicines during blackouts 

When there is no connection or internet, it becomes harder to book a consultation or coordinate a visit with a specialised doctor or an AIDS centre. Blackouts also affect access to laboratory tests. In Kryvyi Rih, Iryna says, tests are accepted only on certain days. 

“The lab works twice a week. If there is no electricity that day and the refrigerators aren’t running, you can’t get tested,” she says. 

The problem is that such visits are often planned in advance: a person needs to take time off work, and doing that again the next time may be difficult. 

Another risk is access to medication, because in many facilities records and prescriptions are managed through electronic systems. 

“If there is no electricity, we can’t get the medicines. They say, ‘Come back when there is power.’ But no one knows when that will be,” Iryna explains. 

Privacy at risk 

For many women living with HIV, privacy is directly linked to safety. During blackouts, the need to use public spaces where there is electricity increases, and this is where the fear of unwanted questions or disclosure of HIV status often arises. 

To reduce the risk, some women change packaging or transfer pills into other containers so that the medicines cannot be easily recognised. 

“Your pills are your life. The first thing you take with you is your medication. But people in a public place can react in different ways: some are fine, others can be completely inappropriate,” Iryna adds. 

Motherhood when there is no electricity 

For mothers living with HIV, power outages add pressure because daily routines cannot be put on pause. If a baby is fed with formula, it requires boiled water and regular sterilisation. 

“A woman living with HIV cannot breastfeed, so she has to feed her baby with formula. Sterilising bottles and teats, boiling water, it’s a continuous process,” Iryna explains. 

It is especially difficult when everything in the apartment depends on electricity: the stove, heating water, and the basic ability to prepare food. 

“Some beneficiaries live in apartment buildings where everything runs on electricity. When the power goes out, sometimes they can’t cook at all. It’s a huge problem,” Iryna says. 

Economic vulnerability and psychological exhaustion 

During blackouts, power banks and flashlights help to some extent. But when there is very little electricity, charging is still not enough for all a family’s needs. Not every woman can afford more powerful equipment. 

“At home I have two power banks, plus flashlights that charge via USB. But it’s still not enough,” Iryna says. 

The disruptions caused by blackouts overlap with constant air raid alerts and quickly turn into additional stress. 

“You didn’t manage to finish something at work, and you carry that burden home. You come back and something isn’t charged, you need to cook, do laundry, the kids’ homework isn’t done. Day after day. And then it leads to health problems,” Iryna says. 

According to her, the demand for psychological support has increased noticeably: women seek help for panic attacks, emotional breakdowns, and tension within the family. 

“Positive women move the whole world” 

Iryna’s main message to other women living with HIV who are navigating the reality of blackouts, attacks, and almost four years of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine is simple: 

“Positive women move the whole world. We are women, we can do anything, and we must not stop.” 

In her words, this sounds no longer like a slogan, but like an inner source of strength that helps women keep going and support others. 

The NGO Positive Women is implementing the project “Positive Women Safe Spaces – supporting, resilience and empowering”, funded by The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) with technical support of UN Women Ukraine. The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) mobilizes critical support for local and grassroots civil society organizations working on women, peace and security and humanitarian action. WPHF is a flexible and rapid financing mechanism supporting quality interventions designed to enhance the capacity of women to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities.  

This publication is produced with funding from the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), however, the views expressed and content included does not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.