Ukrainian presidential office announces emergency power cuts
New Delhi: Emergency power cuts will be implemented across Ukraine due to damage to critical infrastructure facilities, Deputy Chief of the Ukrainian Presidential Office Kirill Timoshenko said on Monday. “There will be emergency power cuts due to large-scale strikes on critical infrastructure,” he wrote on Telegram. “Response teams are working to address the consequences,” Timoshenko added.
Air raid sirens went off across Ukraine on Monday morning with a number of the country’s regions reporting damage to energy facilities.
Energy in Ukraine is mainly from gas and coal, followed by nuclear and oil. The coal industry has been disrupted by conflict. Most gas and oil is imported, but since 2015 energy policy has prioritised diversifying energy supply.
Ukraine’s government is advising refugees living abroad not to return until the spring amid mounting fears over whether the country’s damaged energy infrastructure can cope with demand this winter. The energy crisis comes as officials in Kyiv warned that the coming winter may herald the heaviest fighting of the war, around the southern city of Kherson where Russian forces have been digging in.
(Vinayak)
