KYIV: Ukraine’s energy provider on Tuesday said it had implemented power cuts in eight of the country’s regions following damage to energy infrastructure after Russian strikes.
“Due to the difficult situation in the energy system caused by previous Russian attacks — in Sumy, Kharkiv, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, as well as partially in Kirovograd, Kyiv and Cherkasy regions — emergency shutdowns have been implemented,” Ukrenergo said in a statement.
The main private network operator, DTEK, later announced on Telegram that the planned power outages in Kyiv had been canceled.
Russia has stepped up strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and railway network as winter approaches, raising fears that millions of people could be without power in freezing temperatures.
Power outages had already occurred across Ukraine last week, notably affecting parts of the capital for several hours.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of wanting to sow chaos with these strikes, which have also harmed the Ukrainian gas sector.
Ukraine, for its part, regularly targets oil refineries and hydrocarbon pipelines in Russia with drones, a strategy that has caused fuel prices in that country to rise since the summer.