Severe weather conditions have caused power outages across 386 settlements in 10 Ukrainian regions, including Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Kirovohrad oblasts, the State Emergency Service reported on Nov. 26, citing the state grid operator Ukrenergo.
Emergency services in Odesa Oblast conducted 62 missions, as 145 cars, six buses and five ambulances were dug out from the snow. Also, traffic along the M15 highway is currently prohibited, according to the report.
Snowstorms also forced an emergency shutdown of the major heating plants in Odesa, a local municipal enterprise reported.
"Once stable power supply is restored, the heating process will be resumed immediately," the enterprise wrote on Facebook.
Earlier in the day, a regional branch of the private energy company DTEK said adverse weather in Odesa Oblast caused power loss in 131 towns and villages.
State Emergency Service also said 27 missions were conducted in Kirovohrad Oblast and 18 in Mykolaiv Oblast.
"Overall, across the entire territory of Ukraine, nearly 500 people, as well as 131 units of firefighting and other specialized equipment, are currently working under the State Emergency Service to eliminate the consequences of the bad weather and assist the population," reads the report.
Large parts of Ukraine are under a severe weather warning, with wind gusts of up to 30 meters per second and blizzard conditions or heavy snowfall expected on Nov. 27.
The bad weather hit Ukraine on the same weekend that Russia attacked the country with 75 Shahed drones. Ukraine's Air Force reported shooting down 74 of them.
Rachel Amran
