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AFP, KYIV
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Ukraine’s power grid experienced mass outages for several hours on Saturday after a “technical malfunction” caused electrical lines between Moldova, Romania and Ukraine to fail, Ukraine’s energy minister said.
By Saturday evening, the power companies had restored power to all regions of Kyiv, Ukrainian Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal said.
Kyiv’s metro system had completely suspended operations during the power cut, paralyzing transport for thousands. The emergency services helped evacuate almost 500 passengers stranded in the network when the power went down.
Veterans of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of Ukraine’s Armed Forces serve free hot meals in a residential neighborhood for people without power in their homes in Kyiv on Saturday.
Photo: AP
It was the first time that has happened since the 2022 start of the war with Russia. The network resumed operations after several hours.
Shmyhal said that a “technical malfunction” caused “a simultaneous shutdown of the 400-kilovolt line between the power grids of Romania and Moldova and the 750-kilovolt line between western and central Ukraine” had caused the shutdown.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the incident an “emergency,” adding in his evening address that “the causes are being investigated in detail.”
“As of now, there is no evidence of external interference or cyberattacks. More data indicates that weather conditions caused the lines to freeze, resulting in automatic shutdowns,” he said.
Most of the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, was temporarily without power, although it was largely back online by 3:40pm, according to the Moldovan Ministry of Energy.
Moldova produces its own power, but also imports some, mainly from Romania, as well as Ukraine.
The site of Ukraine’s former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which still requires electricity, particularly to keep its cooling and control systems operating, experienced a brief power outage, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported.
“No direct impact on nuclear safety expected, but overall situation remains precarious,” the IAEA wrote on social media.
The incident piles further pressure on Ukraine’s energy grid, which was already in a fragile state due to weeks of intense Russian bombardment.
Russia has targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure throughout its nearly four-year invasion, but Kyiv says this winter has been the toughest yet, with attacks cutting power and heating to millions during sub-zero temperatures.
The Kremlin, which has bombarded Ukraine’s energy grid for weeks, on Friday said it was refraining from attacks on Kyiv until yesterday following an appeal from US President Donald Trump.
About 800,000 passengers use the Kyiv metro system daily, according to data published last year.
Residents also use its 52 stations as bomb shelters during Russian attacks.
