UPDATE 3-Ukraine and Moldova hit by blackouts from grid malfunction

Parts of Ukraine and Moldova, including the capitals of both neighbouring countries, were plunged into blackouts on Saturday caused by ⁠malfunction of high-voltage power lines, officials said. Officials did not directly link the accident to war damage, although Ukraine's power grid has suffered from the accumulated impact of Russian air strikes leading to severe restrictions on electricity supplies in recent weeks.

Parts of Ukraine and Moldova, including the capitals of both neighbouring countries, were plunged into blackouts on Saturday caused by ⁠malfunction of high-voltage power lines, officials said.

Officials did not directly link the accident to war damage, although Ukraine's power grid has suffered from the accumulated impact of Russian air strikes leading to severe restrictions on electricity supplies in recent weeks. Ukraine's digital ministry also said ​a cyberattack was not to blame. The system is under greater pressure as a cold spell returns this weekend. Russia agreed ‍to halt strikes on energy infrastructure until February 1 at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump. Kyiv said it would reciprocate, and the countries did not report major attacks.

At least five Ukrainian regions and some parts of Moldova were affected by the blackouts, as well as capitals Kyiv and Chisinau, ⁠after the ‌malfunction at 10:42 a.m. Kyiv ⁠time. The metro in Kyiv suspended operations and water supplies in the city were cut. Traffic lights and some public transport in Chisinau were not working, according ‍to the city mayor, and most districts did not have electricity.

At a metro station in Kyiv with dimmed lights, some passengers were waiting, ​hopeful of resuming their journeys. POWER LINES MALFUNCTION

Officials in both countries reported that power was partially restored in the early ⁠afternoon following rushed efforts to stabilise interconnected grids. "By evening, we will be back to where we were before the accident," Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the independent Energy ⁠Research Centre in Kyiv, told Reuters.

Ukraine's Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal blamed a technical malfunction that caused simultaneous outages on two high-voltage power lines, one linking the grids of Romania and Moldova and another connecting western and central Ukraine. Moldova's energy ministry said ⁠the disruption there was triggered by serious problems in Ukraine's grid that led to a voltage drop on the line connecting ⁠Romania and Moldova.

Romania's energy ministry ‌did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The accident caused a shutdown on Ukraine's side, triggered automatic protection at substations and the temporary disconnection of nuclear power plant units from the ⁠grid, Shmyhal said.

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