Are Ukrainians preparing for a hard winter? Demand for backup power equipment rises

Recent Russian attacks and government warnings of a tough winter have prompted Ukrainians to start preparing for possible power outages, but panic is not yet widespread. Sales trends remain stable overall, with increases mostly confined to specific product categories, according to Epicentr retail chain analytics. Food items such as cereals, flour, cooking oil and canned goods have seen growth, and so have energy independence products.

Power bank sales rose 44% from August 3-9, while portable power station sales jumped 28% compared to the previous week. Among power banks, models with capacities of 20,000-30,000 milliampere-hours (mAh) are the most popular, making up nearly half of sales, while the share of highest-capacity models increased by only 1.3 percentage points over the past year.

This suggests that consumers are prioritizing mobility and power output over raw capacity, particularly the ability to charge laptops and support fast charging. In portable power stations, models with outputs of up to 1,000 watts accounted for 37% of sales in 2025, but this fell to 26% in 2026. In contrast, the share of stations with outputs ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 watts grew by nearly 13%.

High-capacity models with capacities exceeding 2,000 watt-hours remain the top sellers. Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS systems) have seen particularly strong sales growth, up 263% from 2025. Models with outputs of 1-1.5 kilowatts are in the highest demand, as they offer an affordable option for basic backup power. However, UPS systems with outputs of 5 kilowatts or more have only seen a 120% sales increase, as they are more expensive.

While there is currently no shortage of backup power products, prices remain stable compared to last year. Epicentr notes that the energy independence category typically reacts more sharply during major power supply disruptions, and demand for backup power products has been consistently high and growing year over year. This indicates that Ukrainians are gradually adapting to wartime conditions and regular power outages.

At the same time, consumers have gained valuable experience using backup power solutions, which is reflected in their equipment choices as they choose more powerful models and specifications that better fit their needs.