Russia-Ukraine War: The energy operators in Kyiv have confirmed the introduction of scheduled power cuts as a consequence of Russia’s continuous strikes on the nation’s power network. According to the Ukrainian presidency, more than a million Ukrainian homes are without electricity as a result of recent Russian strikes, and at least a third of the nation’s power plants have been destroyed just before winter.
On Sunday, Moscow, in a new incursion, claimed to have destroyed storage in central Ukraine that was housing more than 100,000 tonnes of jet fuel.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, condemned “vile strikes on critical objects” by Russia on Saturday evening after new attacks on energy infrastructure and power outages were reported around the country, especially in western Ukraine, which is distant from the frontlines.
With a vision to “avoid accidents,” the national electricity operator Ukrenergo implemented “stabilization shutdowns” in Kyiv on Sunday, according to a statement on the website of the energy company DTEK.
Three groups of consumers in Kyiv were split up and will be “disconnected for a certain period,” according to DTEK, as the blackouts began at 11:13 am (08:13 GMT).
Blackouts should last “no more than four hours,” but they could last longer “due to the scale of damage to the power supply system,” added DTEK.
DTEK further reiterated requests that businesses reduce their usage of outdoor lights and that people use electricity “sparingly.”
Sergiy Miliutin, the deputy mayor of Kryvyi Rig, a city in southern Ukraine, was managing crises and power outages from an underground bunker that was also being used as a location for a martial arts competition for children, stated that “At this point, my drive is all I need to stay alive. You need to conserve your strength and maintain your composure. No one is certain how long this will all go on for.”
After an explosion earlier this month that partially destroyed the bridge connecting the occupied Crimea peninsula to mainland Russia, Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have really been intense.
For Moscow’s soldiers, who are struggling to contain a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the country’s south and east, the episode was seen as yet another significant setback.
