280 villages in six regions of Ukraine cut from power supply after heavy snowfalls

After heavy snowfalls, 280 villages were cut from power supply because of downed wires, said Deputy Energy Minister Alexander Svetelyk at a meeting of the interdepartmental operative headquarters of the State commission on technogenic and ecological safety (TES) and emergency situations of Ukraine, Joinfo.ua reports.

As reported, heavy snowfalls continued for 24 hours in six regions – Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava and Kharkiv. Depth of the snow in Mykolaiv and Odesa regions is about 30 cm, in other regions – up to 15 cm.

Authorities closed roads in four regions: Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kirovograd and Dnipropetrovsk. Governor of the Odesa region, Mikheil Saakashvili said that the highway Odesa – Kyiv was temporarily closed in both directions.