The Guardian reports that the occupied city of Kherson has, for the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, been left without power.
The Russian-controlled Kherson administration stated on Telegram that electricity and water supplies were not working due to a “terrorist attack” that caused damage to three power lines on the Berislav-Kakhova highway. The authorities stated that 1.5km of electric power lines had been destroyed, but added that energy specialists were working to “quickly” resolve the issue, with hopes that power would be restored by the end of Monday.
However, it appears that further fighting and damage is likely in the future as Russian officials have claimed that Ukraine is preparing a second offensive with the objective of retaking more of the Kherson region.
The blackout in Kherson came as the Kyiv mayor and former boxing champion, Vitaliy Klitschko, said that he could not rule out the possibility of a complete blackout in the capital as a result of Russia’s continued campaign of strikes on energy infrastructure.
Speaking to a national news broadcast, Klitschko called on residents to prepare by buying power banks and warm clothes. He added that if a full blackout occurred, people living in Kyiv should look to stay with relatives outside of the capital where possible.
Over the last month Russian strikes have destroyed around a third of Ukraine’s power stations, leading the Ukrainian government to call on citizens to conserve electricity as much as possible.
As well as calling on citizens to take action, Ukraine’s authorities have issued scheduled blackouts across the country in order to help stabilise the grid. In addition, 17 EU countries have sent 500 power generators to Ukraine with the aim of easing the energy crisis.
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