Heavy snow and strong winds left ten people dead in Ukraine on Tuesday, causing widespread disruption and putting extra pressure on emergency services and an energy grid already struggling under Moscow’s war of aggression. The worst-hit area was southern Ukraine, particularly the Black Sea region of Odesa.
The icy winds and storms swept the country overnight, cutting power and blocking roads. In one incident, a bus carrying about 30 passengers slid off a frozen road into fields and caught fire as it collided with a passing truck. The driver died, and the others were injured. The crash also blocked railway tracks and shattered windows in some buildings.
According to the Ministry of Energy, 200,000 people were without power across the country. The worst-affected regions were Kyiv, Odesa, and Mykolaiv. In Odesa, where a Russian missile strike destroyed some apartment blocks earlier this week, the city’s governor, Oleh Kiper, said nearly 1,900 people had been rescued from their homes. Some were trapped inside their cars. Svitlana Molcharova, an 85-year-old woman, refused to leave her shattered apartment building. “I’m not leaving here,” she told the emergency service worker who came to her aid.
In addition, 849 vehicles had been towed out, including 24 buses and 17 ambulances, the local government said. A boiler facility in Odesa reopened Monday evening after being closed since Sunday due to the storms.
At least four people have died in Russia and occupied Crimea as a result of the severe weather, the government said. Its spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that President Vladimir Putin had been following reports of the “meteorological disasters.” According to a Kremlin spokesman, he ordered the government to help the affected areas.
The severe weather has also lashed southern Russia, dumping up to 25 centimeters of snow in some places. Hundreds of people were evacuated from coastal areas, and some roads were blocked. Dubbed the “storm of the century” by Russian media, it has battered the southern regions of Dagestan, Krasnodar, and Rostov, as well as the occupied Ukrainian cities of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea.
The storms are expected to continue into Wednesday, with forecasters warning of flooding in low-lying areas and dangerous wind gusts. Some cities have issued evacuation orders, and the government has warned that schools and public institutions will be closed on Tuesday. Some rail traffic was suspended, but Kyiv’s Boryspil airport flights operated as usual. The airport has been on the front lines of Moscow’s air campaign against Ukraine and has been hit by several Russian missile strikes. The influx of passengers and cargo has significantly strained the airport’s infrastructure. The government has called on the international community to help it improve its defenses. A senior diplomat expressed concern that the current crisis could have serious long-term consequences for the economy and food and energy security.
