Ukrainians, on Thursday, faced their first large-scale nationwide disruptions to electricity. Officials sought to restrict supply to allow energy companies to repair power facilities which were destroyed by Russian air strikes. President Volodymyr Zellenskyy's office told citizens late on Wednesday that they should minimise their use of electricity from 7 am to 11 pm and prepare for temporary blackouts.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russian air strikes have damaged 30 per cent of Ukraine's power stations in just over a week, Reuters reported.
“Please limit your electricity consumption and use those appliances that consume a lot of energy,” he said. Kyiv and Kharkiv announced a limitation on the use of electric-powered public transport like trolleybuses and reduced the frequency of trains on the metro. No schedule was announced for the outages.
One Ukrainian energy official said on Wednesday that 40 per cent of the country's electric power system had been severely damaged.
Ukrainians, are, however, prepared-- if power is knocked out, there are stocks of flashlights and candles. Water has been bottled and jars of pickled vegetables and canned goods have been safely stored, AP reported.
The attacks have come at a critical time, with winter approaching. Klitschko said that Thursday marks the start of the heating season for Kyiv, which like most urban centres in Ukraine and even Russia uses a Soviet-era central system controlled by the city that provides heat for apartment buildings and businesses.
-- With PTI inputs
