Ukraine’s state energy operator, Ukrenergo, has announced further emergency power outages in seven regions of the country, including the capital, Kiev, on Saturday, at a time when nighttime temperatures are already falling below freezing.
The outages affect Kiev and the region of the same name, as well as Chernihivska, Cherkasi, Yitomir, Sumi, Kharkov and Poltava, according to the operator’s statement reported by the Ukrainian news portal Bykvu.
Ukrenergo reminds that «during emergency outages, power may fail at times other than those announced by power companies in the area, and the interruption may last longer than indicated.»
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal on Tuesday ruled out evacuating the capital, Kiev, just two days after the city’s mayor put such a possibility on the table in the event of power outages.
«Evacuation can be used as a last resort, as an emergency measure. You always have to have a plan B, but the situation is far from declaring the evacuation of any city that is not on the front line, let alone the capital,» Shmigal said.
Regarding possible power cuts as a result of Russia’s incessant attacks on these facilities, the Ukrainian Prime Minister stressed that the authorities are doing «everything possible» to restore the functioning of the power system.
Shmigal has reassured the population that Ukraine has sufficient energy reserves to face the winter, although he has recognized that the region and city of Kiev, as well as Kharkov, are the points where the electricity supply seems to be the most compromised.
