Snowstorm causes blackouts in 131 towns, villages of Odesa Oblast

Adverse weather in Odesa Oblast caused power loss in 131 towns and villages as of noon on Nov. 26, according to the regional branch of the private energy company DTEK.  

Snowstorms also forced an emergency shutdown at one of Odesa's high-voltage substations, leaving 14,000 customers in the city's Kyiv District without electricity.  

Maintenance personnel are trying to restore power to critical infrastructure, DTEK said.

Emergency services in Odesa Oblast conducted 59 missions, as 121 cars, five buses and five ambulances were dug out from the snow, using 48 vehicles and 157 workers, according to a report by the State Emergency of Ukraine.

Big parts of Ukraine are under heavy weather warning, with wind gusts up to 30 meters per second and blizzard conditions or heavy snowfall expected on Nov. 27.

The weather hit on the same weekend that Russia attacked the country with 75 Shahed drones. Ukraine's Air Force reported shooting down 74 of them.

Russia launches record number of drones against Ukraine on Holodomor Memorial Day

Russia launched a record number of drones into Ukraine over the course of six hours on Holodomor Memorial Day on Nov. 25. According to the Kyiv City Military Administration, “this was the largest drone attack since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.”

The Kyiv IndependentRachel Amran