SIMFEROPOL, November 22. /TASS/. All populated localities of Crimea have been left on Sunday without electricity that is supplied to the peninsula from Ukraine by four lines, director of the Krymenergo local power utility company Viktor Plakida told TASS. "Crimea is in blackout, I cannot give the details yet," he said.
The blackout occurred at about 00:20 am, Moscow time. The regional department of the Russian Emergencies Ministry has also confirmed the power outage. Neither the law enforcement agencies nor the authorities have named the causes.
On Friday morning, police of the Kherson region of Ukraine reported on Friday morning that two transmission towers of the line to Crimea were damaged, as a result of which two of the four power lines to the peninsula were disconnected from the grid.
The Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Crimea warned the region’s people on Friday evening that electricity supply disruption was possible. The population was advised to charge the batteries, stock up on water and not to use electric household appliances without necessity during the morning and evening peak loads. Reserve power capacities were used on the peninsula for ensuring power supply to socially important facilities.
Earlier on Sunday, head of the Crimea Sergei Aksenov told reporters that there was no threat of blackouts. "The headquarters have mobilized all the staff responsible for the accuracy and safety of electricity supply in the Republic of Crimea. Everybody was on the alert on the workplace. But still there were no outages, no restrictions were introduced," Aksenov told reporters.