Kyiv power grid in ‘emergency mode’
KYIV, UKRAINE — Relentless Russian attacks on energy infrastructure prompted Ukrainian authorities on Friday to announce worsening blackouts around the country’s largest cities, with Kyiv’s mayor warning that the capital’s power grid is working in “emergency mode” with energy supplies down as much as 50% from prewar levels.
Meanwhile, the Russian president sought to dispel criticism of a chaotic call-up of 300,000 reservists for service in Ukraine by ordering his defense minister to make sure they’re properly trained and equipped for battle.
In the Kyiv region, as winter looms, the latest damage to utilities will mean outages of four or more hours a day, according to Ukrenergo, the state operator of Ukraine’s high-voltage transmission lines.
But Kyiv regional Gov. Oleksiy Kuleba warned “more severe and longer shutdowns will be applied in the coming days.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said power outages were affecting about 4 million people across the country. He said last week that 30% of Ukraine’s power stations had been destroyed since Russia launched the first wave of targeted infrastructure strikes on Oct. 10.
In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the power grid was operating in “emergency mode,” adding that he hoped Ukrenergo would find ways to address the shortage “in two to three weeks.”
Klitschko also said new air defense equipment has been deployed in Kyiv to help defend itself against Russian drone and missile attacks on energy facilities.
In the Kharkiv region, home to Ukraine’s second-largest city of the same name, Gov. Oleg Syniehubov said daily one-hour power outages would begin Monday. Officials across the country have urged people to reduce electricity consumption during peak hours.
In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu that the thousands of reservists who were recently called up need the right training and equipment so “people feel confident when they need to go to combat.”
Shoigu told Putin that 82,000 reservists had been deployed to Ukraine, while 218,000 others were still being trained. He said there were no immediate plans to round up more, but Putin’s mobilization order left the door open for a future military call-up.
Putin’s effort to beef up the number of troops along the 620-mile front line followed recent setbacks, including a Russian withdrawal from the Kharkiv region. The mobilization, however, fueled protests in Russia and prompted hundreds of thousands of men to flee the country.
Activists and reports by Russian media and The Associated Press said many of the draftees were inexperienced and did not receive training. Some were killed within days of being called up.