Sevastopol Limits Power to Households as Crimea Faces Fuel and Energy Shortages
Power and Fuel Crisis Deepens in Crimea
Sevastopol Imposes Power Restrictions
June 25 (Reuters) - Sevastopol has limited power supplies to households to avoid overloading the strained network, the Russian-installed governor of Crimea's largest city said on Thursday, as the Black Sea peninsula grapples with fuel and power shortages.
Additional Measures and Restrictions
Fuel Sales and Public Services
Crimean authorities have already suspended fuel sales to private motorists, while Sevastopol has introduced restrictions on operating hours for public transport, shops, cafes and street lights.
Background: Crimea's Political Status
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, though most countries do not recognise Moscow's authority over the region, which Kyiv has said it will never cede. Ukrainian attacks on logistics and energy facilities in Russia have interrupted its fuel supplies.
Authorities Urge Residents to Conserve Power
Governor's Appeal
Mikhail Razvozhayev, Moscow's governor of Sevastopol, which is home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet, urged people not to use powerful appliances.
"This measure is forced. It is necessary to relieve the overload on power grids outside our region in order to prevent an accident across the entire energy system," he said.
Impact of Ukrainian Attacks
He had said on Wednesday that the latest Ukrainian attacks had downed power supplies. Trolleybuses would not operate, he added, and parents should keep their children at home.
Ukraine said its drones had hit the main substation at the Sevastopol power plant.
Broader Implications of the Energy Crisis
Ukraine's Strategy
Ukraine has said its strategy of targeting Russian energy facilities with long-range drones is aimed at sapping a key source of Russia's war funds and showing Russians that the four-year conflict launched by Moscow is hitting closer to home.
Russian Response
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has said the attacks on civilian infrastructure are meant to sow discord among the Russian population.
Reporting and Editing
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Joe Bavier)
