More than 500 Ukrainian facilities without power, Kharkiv worst hit

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
4 Dec 2022 16:19

Ukrainian authorities are asking civilians to face the continually deteriorating early winter conditions, subzero degrees, and constant power outages.

Deputy interior minister Yevhen Yenin (AFP)

More than 500 Ukrainian localities are without power as of Sunday following Russian airstrikes on the electric grid, according to Ukrainian Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Yenin.

"The enemy continues to attack the country's essential infrastructure. Currently, 507 localities in eight regions of our country are cut off from electricity supplies," Yenin told Ukrainian television, as he added: that "the Kharkiv region is the worst hit with 112 isolated villages,"

He further included another 90 villages in the Donetsk and Kherson regions, with others in the regions of Mykolaiv, Zaporozhye, and Lugansk. Ukrainian authorities alongside Mykolaiv region governor Vitali Kim requested civilians to face the continually deteriorating early winter conditions, subzero degrees, and constant power outages.

On Thursday, Private Ukrainian energy operator DTEK announced that nearly half of Ukraine's electricity grid is damaged after strikes in October.

On November 25, Ukraine's electricity transmission system operator, Ukrenergo, reported a 30% electricity deficit.

"As of 11:00 a.m. [9:00 a.m. GMT], electricity producers provided more than 70% of the country's consumption needs… However, there is still a shortage of electricity in the power system. Currently, this is 30% of the total consumption. In this regard, both planned and emergency load shedding schedules have been introduced in all regions of Ukraine," the energy operator wrote on its Telegram channel.

The company also stated that private consumer reconnection was underway but was hampered by "icing and broken wires in distribution networks."

Following the attack on the Crimean bridge, which Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out, Russia carried out strikes against infrastructure across Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened that Russia's response to any further Ukrainian attacks would be "severe" after he announced the strikes, adding that new intense bombing was not necessary "at the moment".