Difficult situation near Bakhmut, Russia captures half of Marinka, blackouts in Ukraine and Moldova. What’s happening on the front line?

Blackouts in Ukraine and Moldova

Russia has struck the Ukrainian energy grid yet again. All Kyiv-controlled operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) were affected as a result of the November 23 shelling. Power units of the South Ukrainian and Khmelnytskyi NPPs were shut down, and the Rivne nuclear power plant was put in emergency mode. Enerhoatom said that the radiation background at the shutdown nuclear power plants has not changed.

Emergency blackouts were introduced in almost all regions of Ukraine. Kiev is almost completely plunged into darkness, there is no water in the city. The subway works in a limited mode.

Power outages also occurred in the Chernihiv region, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Khmelnytskyi and Lviv. Electric transport stopped running in Kharkiv. The head of Kirovohrad region reported explosions at a critical infrastructure facility. Ukrenerho reported that there will be no light across various locations throughout the country for about a day.

Due to the Russian strikes on Ukraine, half of the territory of Moldova was also left without electricity, which led to a transport collapse in the country’s capital, Chisinau.

“We cannot trust a regime that leaves us in the dark and cold, that deliberately kills people simply to keep other peoples in poverty and humiliation. However difficult it may be now, our only path, the future path of the Republic of Moldova, must remain towards the free world,” commented President Maia Sandu on the blackout.

The following images illustrate the structure of Ukraine's electricity grid and a close-up of the connections through Moldova: