By Dan Peleschuk
KYIV, Jan 8 (Reuters) – Ukrainian officials were racing to restore power on Thursday after Russian strikes plunged two southeastern regions into near-total blackout overnight, forcing critical infrastructure to rely on reserves.
Moscow has intensified its attacks on Ukraine’s energy system as Ukrainian forces fend off Russian advances on the battlefield and Kyiv faces U.S. pressure to secure a peace deal.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said repairs were still ongoing to return heat and water supplies to more than 1 million consumers in the industrialised region of Dnipropetrovsk.
The energy ministry said nearly 800,000 consumers in the region remained without electricity early on Thursday but that power had been restored to the other affected region, Zaporizhzhia.
Zaporizhzhia governor Ivan Fedorov said it was the first time in “recent years” that his region had faced a total blackout, but that officials had been quick to respond.
“A difficult night for the region. But ‘light’ always wins,” he wrote on Telegram on Thursday.
Ukraine’s energy ministry said eight mines across the Dnipropetrovsk region had faced blackouts, but that workers had been evacuated.
Water supplies to the strategic city of Pavlohrad and nearby areas could take up to a day to repair, said Mykola Lukashuk, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional council.
Ukraine is facing an impending cold snap this week, with Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko warning late on Tuesday that it would likely compound disruptions to power and heating.
The energy ministry added on Wednesday that weather conditions had already cut power to some settlements in at least four regions.
(Reporting by Dan Peleschuk; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
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