So far, twelve people have died in Ukraine as a result of severe storms. In addition, 23 people were injured, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said today. Authorities said the storm had passed, but there were power outages in hundreds of villages.
Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said 812 settlements were without power because of weather and war. 368 settlements were left without power due to the extreme storms, while power was cut in 444 settlements “due to fighting and technical problems.” Repair work is underway.
Electricity from neighboring countries
According to the state energy company Ukrenergo, the electricity was imported from the neighboring countries of Slovakia, Romania and Moldova. The southern regions of Odessa and Kherson were particularly affected in Ukraine. These are regularly hit by Russian attacks.
Strong winds and snowfall hit southern Ukraine on Monday. The winds also swept Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, the annexed Crimean peninsula and southern Russia. According to information from Moscow, almost two million people in southern Russia, Crimea and occupied regions of Ukraine were left without electricity on Monday.
Last winter, Russia suffered heavy attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. For many people, this meant long power outages or heating in freezing winter temperatures. Ukraine fears new Russian attacks on its energy grid this winter.