Sawt Falasteen - Ukraine hit by mass power outages after 'technical malfunction'

By Saturday evening, the power companies had restored power to all regions of Kyiv, said Ukraine's Energy Minister Denys Shmygal.

Kyiv's metro system had completely suspended operations during the power cut, paralysing transport for thousands. The emergency services helped evacuate almost 500 passengers stranded in the network when the power went down.

It was the first time that has happened since the 2022 start of the war with Russia. The network resumed operations after several hours.

Shmygal said on Telegram that a "technical malfunction" caused "a simultaneous shutdown of the 400-kilovolt line between the power grids of Romania and Moldova and the 750-kilovolt line between western and central Ukraine" had caused the shutdown.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the incident an "emergency". In his evening address he said: "The causes are being investigated in detail."

But he added: "As of now, there is no evidence of external interference or cyberattacks. More data indicates that weather conditions caused the lines to freeze, resulting in automatic shutdowns."

- Chernobyl 'precarious': IAEA -

Most of the Moldovan capital Chisinau was temporarily without power, though it was largely back on line by 3:40 pm, according to the Moldovan energy ministry. Moldova produces its own power but also imports some, mainly from Romania, as well as Ukraine.

The site of Ukraine's former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which still requires electricity, particularly to keep its cooling and control systems operating, experienced a brief power outage, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported.

"No direct impact on nuclear safety expected, but overall situation remains precarious," the IAEA posted on X.

The incident piles further pressure on Ukraine's energy grid, which was already in a fragile state due to weeks of intense Russian bombardment.

Russia has targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure throughout its nearly four-year invasion but Kyiv says this winter has been the toughest yet, with attacks cutting power and heating to millions during sub-zero temperatures.

The Kremlin, which has bombarded Ukraine's energy grid for weeks, said on Friday it was refraining from attacks on Kyiv until Sunday following an appeal from US President Donald Trump.

Around 800,000 passengers use the Kyiv metro system daily, according to data published last year.

Residents also use its 52 stations as bomb shelters during Russian attacks.

P.Tamimi--SF-PST