The Ukrainian official said people are likely to live with blackouts until at least the end of March.
Kyiv:
Ukrainians are likely to live with blackouts until at least the end of March, the head of a major energy provider said on Monday, as the government began free evacuations for people in Kherson to other regions.
Half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been damaged by Russian attacks, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, leaving millions without power and water as winter begins and temperatures drop below freezing.
Sergei Kovalenko, the head of YASNO, the main private energy provider for Kyiv, said workers were rushing to complete repairs before the cold winter sets in.
“I would like everyone to understand: Ukrainians will live with blackouts until at least the end of March,” Kovalenko said in a post on his Facebook page.
Blackouts are a daily occurrence in all regions of Ukraine, grid operator Ukrainergo said, with more planned shutdowns scheduled for Tuesday.
Kovalenko said new restrictions on power distribution were imposed by the grid operator on Monday, resulting in more than 950,000 customers being disconnected.
The government was offering people in the recently liberated city of Kherson, which mostly remains without electricity and water, free evacuation to areas with better infrastructure, as well as free housing.
“Given the difficult security situation and infrastructure problems in the city, you can move to safer areas of the country for the winter,” Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said on the Telegram messaging app.
Zelensky on Monday urged Ukrainians to conserve energy, saying “they should be careful and redistribute their consumption throughout the day”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the blackouts and Russia’s attacks on energy infrastructure are the result of Kyiv’s unwillingness to negotiate, the state TASS news agency reported late last week.
Temperatures have already dropped below freezing in some areas of Ukraine, including the capital of Kyiv.
Kovalenko said the country should be prepared for all options, including prolonged power cuts.
“Stock up on warm clothes, blankets, think about options that will help you wait longer,” Kovalenko said. “Better to do it now than to be miserable.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
featured video of the day
On camera, unarmed security guard in US confronts man with assault rifle