Over half million households in Odesa lost power as fighting continues

Over half a million households in Odesa, Ukraine have lost power due to a “serious” accident at a high-voltage substation on February 4, according to regional Governor Maksym Marchenko.

The incident caused a fire, and emergency measures are being taken to provide generators to the region in the next 24 hours.

Marchenko also stated that the head of the national energy company, Ukrenergo, and the energy minister have been sent to Odesa to assess the damage.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the city of Odesa and the surrounding area is without power following the accident and that it is impossible to quickly restore power supply to critical infrastructure.

The substation was previously targeted by Russian strikes, according to Shmyhal. Energy provider Ukrenerho is working to repair the critical facilities.

An air-raid alert was canceled in Ukraine after two hours on February 4, with no reports of Russian bombing. The Ukrainian military reported that fighting has intensified in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, and the Ukrainian military repelled Russian attacks in several settlements in the Luhansk region.

Battles have been ongoing for months in Bakhmut, where Russian attackers are increasing pressure on the Ukrainian forces.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian forces will continue to fight for Bakhmut and that the city is considered a “fortress.” Despite reports from U.S. media advising Ukraine to withdraw from Bakhmut, Zelenskyy maintained the Ukrainian stance.