MOSCOW, November 5. /TASS/. Energy infrastructure in Dnepropetrovsk, Krivoy Rog and Odessa is in extremely poor condition, putting these cities, along with Kiev, at risk of large-scale blackouts this winter, Alexey Kucherenko, Ukrainian lawmaker and first deputy chairman of the Verkhovna Rada’s committee on energy, housing and utilities, said.
"Dnepropetrovsk is suffering badly. Krivoy Rog has sustained very serious damage and will face a very difficult situation. Odessa’s grid is just as vulnerable," Ukrainian news outlet Telegraf quoted him as saying. Kiev will experience the most difficult power supply situation, he added.
Ukrainian energy expert Yury Korolchuk earlier warned that major cities could be without electricity for up to 20 hours a day this winter. He said this is a realistic scenario for Kiev, Dnepropetrovsk, Odessa and Kharkov.
On November 2, Ukraine’s Energy Ministry reported 208 incidents involving the destruction of or damage to energy and oil and gas infrastructure over the preceding week. Ukrainian authorities acknowledged that the situation was most difficult in Kiev, where local electricity generation had come to a halt.