Photo credit: Reuters
Parts of Ukraine and Moldova, including the neighbouring countries’ capitals, were plunged into blackouts Saturday caused by a malfunction of high-voltage power lines, officials said. However, power was restored later in the day.
The Korea Herald reports that officials did not directly link the accident to war damage, although Ukraine’s power grid has suffered from the accumulated impact of Russian airstrikes, leading to severe restrictions on electricity supplies in recent weeks.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed ice buildup on power lines and ruled out a cyberattack.
Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said the two incidents occurred within a minute of each other, “leading to a cascade of shutdowns in seven regions of the country.” Moldova’s Energy Ministry said the disruption there was triggered by problems in Ukraine’s grid that led to a voltage drop on the line connecting Romania and Moldova.
The system is under greater pressure as forecast night-time temperatures of minus 13 degrees Celsius in Kyiv are due to sink to minus 22 C Monday.
Zelenskyy said nearly 3,500 apartment buildings lack heating in the capital.
Russia agreed to halt strikes on energy infrastructure until Sunday, at the request of US President Donald Trump. Kyiv said it would reciprocate, and the countries did not report major attacks.
