Russian airstrikes on Wednesday evening caused widespread power outages in southeastern Ukraine, almost completely affecting the regions of Dnipropetrovsk and ZaporizhiaAccording to the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy, essential infrastructure, including hospitals, had to switch to backup power supplies.
Emergency crews worked throughout the night to try to restore electricity, as well as water and heating, which were also disrupted by the attacks. In Dnipropetrovsk, repairs are continuing intensively, the deputy prime minister stated. Oleksiy Kulebawhile highlighting the security constraints weighing on the deployed teams.
In the Zaporizhzhia region, authorities are resorting to alternative energy sources to ensure water supplies. The outages have also affected air traffic control systems, rendering some sirens inaudible, according to the regional governor. Ivan Fedorov.
Attacks against Ukraine's energy grid have intensified in recent months, as winter temperatures plummet. The Prime Minister Julia Svyrydenko warned that the predicted snowfall and nighttime temperatures that could drop below -20°C risked worsening the disruptions, putting additional pressure on already weakened infrastructure.
Transportation was also affected. In Dnipro, the metro was temporarily shut down and school holidays were extended by two days. Ukrainian Railways reported that trains and signaling systems were operating on backup power, while stations were being supplied by generators.
In Kryvyi Rih, the president's hometown Volodymyr Zelenskiythe head of the military administration Oleksandr Vilkul described a particularly difficult situation in several districts and called on residents to use generators sparingly.
Local authorities were unable to specify when a full restoration of electricity might occur, as Ukraine continues to face repeated strikes targeting its energy infrastructure in the middle of winter.
