Storm rages across southern Ukraine, causing devastation among civilians and soldiers
A powerful winter storm hit southern Ukraine on Monday. wash away Russian coastal defense from some beaches on the occupied Crimean Peninsula. The storm, which Ukrainian meteorologists said was one of the fiercest in decades, narrowed supply routes for both countries’ armies and compounded the misery of tens of thousands of soldiers holed up in shallow trenches on the vast front line.
As temperatures fell below freezing in much of the country, hundreds of thousands of citizens were left without power in Russian-occupied areas and tens of thousands more lost power in southern Ukraine.
All the hardships that a winter storm usually brings were compounded and complicated by the demands of war. For example, a snowstorm left civilians stranded on roads and hampered the movement of humanitarian aid to fighting-ravaged communities across Ukraine.
Violent waves, fanned by hurricane winds, threatened to rip maritime mines from their moorings in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea – as less violent storms have done in the past – complicating navigation in already dangerous shipping lanes.
Both Russian and Ukrainian officials have reported this widely spread floods at the coast communities, and soldiers from both armies posted photos of the destruction caused by the storm. The storm raged on both sides of the front, with the Odesa region in southern Ukraine along the Black Sea among the hardest hit areas. About 150,000 homes in the region were without power Monday, city officials said.
Crimean residents have posted dozens of them videos And photos of destruction along the coast of Crimea, including along beaches where Russia had dug miles of trenches and built other fortifications to thwart potential Ukrainian amphibious attacks, according to satellite images. Even as the defenses were built in the sand, military analysts had warned that they would be vulnerable to storm surges that could wash them away.
A correspondent for the news organization Radio Liberty posted video of some of the damage and of flooded Russian positions.
It was not possible to verify the extent of damage to both military and civilian infrastructure in Crimea, but local Russian proxy leaders declared a state of emergency.
Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to the Russian-appointed head of Crimea, said at least one person was killed after being washed away by waves, and hundreds of civilians had to be evacuated from coastal communities.
Russian operators were forced to suspend the broadcast loading of crude oil on ships at the Novorossiysk terminal due to the storm, operators said. And Russia’s Maritime and River Transport announced early Monday morning restrictions on open sea navigation and access to the main seaports on the Black Sea.
More than 400,000 people in Crimea were without power, local officials said train service by the coast of the Black Sea and across the Strait of Kerch the bridge was disturbed. One sailor died during the storm in the strait, Russian state media reported thisbut it was not clear whether he was a civilian or a soldier.
The strait bridge is the only land connection between Russia and the occupied peninsula and is repeatedly attacked by Ukraine.
About 90 centimeters of snow had fallen in parts of the region by 7:30 a.m., according to Ukrainian emergency services. They reported that there were snowbanks more than two meters deep on some roads. Russian authorities on the peninsula said the peak of the storm had passed by Monday afternoon and that waters would begin to recede overnight.
The main highway between the port city of Odesa and Kiev was closed by Ukrainian authorities on Monday as rescue workers, including some on snowmobiles, rushed to save people stranded in cars and buses.
More than 1,600 people – including 93 children – were evacuated from roads in the Odesa region, Ukrainian emergency services said Monday morning.
As the storm raged north across Ukraine from the Black Sea, large vehicles were banned from entering the capital Kiev on Monday morning so crews could clear the roads.
At the same time, the country’s largest private energy supplier, DTEK, said the Russians had shelled one of its thermal power plants at the front, knocking out power to people in the area.
“We continue to do everything possible to maintain the reliable operation of the Ukrainian energy system,” the company said in a statement.
At some point during the storm, the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant lost connection to the main off-site power line, forcing it to rely on backup electricity to cool the reactor. At the same time, the UN International Atomic Energy Agency reported for the first time that the plant’s observers heard rockets fired from somewhere close to the facility.
The factory and the surrounding town have been occupied by Russian troops since the first weeks of the war. It was unclear whether the power loss was due to the storm or some other reason, with Russian operators saying only that it was the result of a “short circuit”, the UN agency said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Ukrainians to be cautious and asked the nation to pay special attention to soldiers in bleak fighting positions as they struggle to hold the line against brutal Russian attacks.
“Now that things are so difficult and under such circumstances, we should all be especially grateful to those who defend our country,” he said.
During nearly two years of fighting, it has served as ally and enemy again.
The autumn rains and spring thaw make every step a difficult negotiation through a viscous mixture.
When American veterans described their experiences during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944 to author Stephen Ambrose for his book “Band of Brothers,” the bite of the cold often haunted them as much as the blast of the gun.
Although fighting in Ukraine has rarely slowed down regardless of the season, the weather has affected the pace of fighting.
Ukraine is now largely on the defensive across most of the front and military commanders hope the brutal winter conditions will work in their favor. Although still outgunned and weaponless in most respects, they fight on their own land.
Volodymyr Fitio, the spokesman for all Ukrainian ground forces, said last week that with Ukraine on the defensive, the main focus this winter will be disrupting Russian logistics, preventing the delivery of weapons, rations and other necessary goods , “so they are hungry, cold and don’t feel like fighting.