A technological failure in Ukraine led to extensive power outages on Saturday, according to Ukrainian authorities. Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal reported that the incident, which occurred at 10:42 a.m. local time, resulted in the disconnection of power lines linking Romania and Moldova, as well as between western and central Ukraine. This failure caused a cascading outage in Ukraine’s power grid, prompting the activation of automatic protection systems at substations.
In response to the situation, nuclear power plant units were unloaded, and emergency power outages were implemented in various regions of Ukraine. The capital city of Kyiv experienced disruptions as metro services were suspended due to low voltage, as confirmed by Mayor Vitali Klitschko. President Volodymyr Zelensky assured that necessary response measures have been initiated within Ukraine’s energy system, with restoration efforts already in progress.
Zelensky also mentioned Ukraine’s readiness to adhere to an energy ceasefire with Russia, which commenced the previous night. He emphasized Ukraine’s commitment to refraining from strikes on Russian energy facilities, highlighting the proposal for a one-week pause in attacks on energy infrastructure made by the United States.
