Ukraine’s power grid was hit by widespread electricity outages on Saturday due to a “technical failure” affecting transmission lines linking Ukraine, Moldova and Romania, Ukraine’s Energy Minister said.
“Today, at 10:42 local time, a technical fault occurred, resulting in the simultaneous shutdown of the 400 kV line connecting the power grids of Romania and Moldova, as well as the 750 kV line linking western and central Ukraine,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in a post on Telegram.
At least three regions and the capital, Kyiv, are experiencing emergency power cuts, Shmyhal added. Kyiv’s metro system was temporarily shut down due to the power outage, the operator announced, amid heightened concern as Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has recently been targeted by a wave of Russian attacks.
Moldova affected
“Due to the loss of supply from external power sources, train services and escalators in the metro have been suspended,” Kyiv Metro said in a statement posted on Facebook.
At the same time, Moldovan officials said the country’s energy system was also affected by an emergency blackout caused by problems in neighbouring Ukraine’s grid, with the capital Chisinau and other parts of the country experiencing power cuts.
According to a statement posted by Moldova’s Energy Ministry on Telegram, disruptions in Ukraine’s grid led to a voltage drop on one of Moldova’s power lines. Most areas of Chisinau were left without electricity, Mayor Ion Ceban said in a separate Telegram post, adding that even traffic lights were not functioning.
Ukraine’s power grid has for months been one of the main targets of Russian strikes, with consumers facing significant electricity restrictions for weeks.