Temperatures down to -20 at night: additional problems with electricity and roads are possible due to bad weather

Starting January 8, weather conditions are expected to deteriorate across Ukraine, which may cause additional power outages and traffic problems, said prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko.

"The cyclone will enter Ukraine through the Chernivtsi and Ivano-Frankivsk regions around four in the morning. According to forecasts, the temperature will drop to -20°C at night and -10°C during the day. There may be additional power outages outside the schedule due to snow sticking to power lines and traffic complications on the roads," the official wrote.

Svyrydenko reminded that Ukraine's energy system is under Russian attack every day and that power engineers "work in extremely difficult conditions to provide people with light and heat."

"Deteriorating weather conditions put additional strain on critical infrastructure. We are working to minimize the effects of the weather," the PM said.

The authorities are urging people to be careful and limit travel during the peak of the weather, if possible, and to follow messages from local authorities and specialized services.

Svyrydenko also said that the government had ordered such measures in response to the bad weather:

→ The Ministry of Internal Affairs, together with the State Emergency Service and the National Police, should ensure that snowplows, heavy engineering equipment, all-terrain vehicles, and mobile heating stations are ready and, if necessary, used in a timely manner to help road users;

→ The Recovery Agency, Kyiv and regional military administrations, together with local authorities, should ensure prompt response to eliminate the consequences of the bad weather, including preparing fuel reserves and ensuring that roads are treated with anti-icing compounds;

→ relevant ministries and services should prepare for the deployment of resilience centers in case of interruptions in electricity, heat, gas or water supply, as well as communication problems;

→ The Ministry of Energy, together with the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development and state-owned energy companies, should ensure stable operation of the energy system, readiness of repair teams to respond in a timely manner, and, if necessary, increase electricity production and gas supplies, including the possibility of imports from the European Union.

• Meanwhile, the Lviv Regional State Administration stated that the temporary power outages in some hospitals and all public electric transport in Lviv were legal. At the same time, mayor Sadovyi said that appealed to the police on this issue. Read more about the situation read in the text by LIGA.net.