Conflicts & War

Ukraine braces for more power cuts as cold continues

Lviv, Ukraine, Feb 7 (EFE).- Ukrainians are braced for more frequent and longer power cuts as subzero temperatures take their toll on the nation’s war-torn energy system.

“Although electricity generation has increased, consumption is also increasing due to the frosts. In addition, snow and frost can cause accidents in the transmission system,” the head of Yasno power supplier Sergiy Kovalenko warns.

Temperatures have reached -12C (10.4F) at night in Lviv and -7C in Kyiv, increasing power demand as people turn to electric-powered heaters to stay warm.

Meanwhile, the southern city of Odesa has remained with little to no electricity for several days after all of its power plants, badly damaged by Russian missile strikes, broke down last week.

Some 100 power generators have been sent to the city as local authorities promised the situation would improve by the end of the week, giving priority to hospitals and water networks.

Although there is a lingering gap of some 25-30% between electricity demand and supply, the worst might have passed because Russia’s attempts to force total blackouts have failed so far, thanks to improved air-defense systems and preemptive measures by Ukraine and its allies, according to energy expert Volodymyr Omelchenko.

Kazakhstan has been surprisingly added to the long list of those providing aid to Ukraine.

The Central Asian country that belongs to the Russian-led military alliance, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, has neither demonstrated its outright support of Russia’s invasion nor blocked private initiatives to provide aid to Ukraine.

Responding to calls for help, Kazakh businespeople and members of the country’s diaspora in Ukraine have set up six “Yurts of Invincibility” in Ukrainian cities to provide a place to warm up and get hot drinks during power cuts.

Zhanna, one of the volunteers in Lviv, defines a yurt as the traditional home of Kazakhs, formerly a nomadic nation, adding many locals are attracted to the yurt’s unusual structure.

Larissa, one of the locals, says that the warmth and comfort she feels at the yurt are special.

“It is in times like these that we need some warmth in our souls, too,” she says. EFE

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