KYIV: Ukrainian President Zelensky in his nightly address on Wednesday urged citizens not to turn on electrical appliances unnecessarily as the war-hit nation announced emergency blackouts after it lost 40 per cent of its power-generating infrastructure following days of Russian cruise missile and drone strikes.
The Ukrainian national energy company called for understanding and support, stating that the restoration and repair were underway. stating on Thursday 7:00 am to 2:00 pm the blackout will be imposed on Friday as well, the energy officials have announced. Alternating outages amongst regional power distribution companies will be followed in order to avoid overloading of the power grid, a statement from the energy officials said.
This is for the third time straight in a week, Zelensky has urged the citizens to significantly reduce their electricity use during peak hours. The strikes on Ukraine in recent weeks have targeted both electrical infrastructure and thermal power plants. Many cities and towns rely on a centralized system to heat homes, pumping water from these thermal plants through pipes that reach houses and large apartment complexes across the region.