Power outages hit Ukraine and Moldova amid frigid winter

Emergency power cuts swept multiple Ukrainian cities and parts of Moldova after a technical malfunction on cross-border power lines, officials said, and U.S., Russian and Ukrainian teams are expected to meet on Feb. 1 in Abu Dhabi.

Emergency power cuts swept several Ukrainian cities and parts of neighboring Moldova on Saturday. Ukraine's Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said a technical malfunction on power lines linking Ukraine and Moldova caused a cascading outage and triggered automatic protection systems that disconnected supply. The disruption affected Kyiv and regions including Zhytomyr and Kharkiv, cutting water supplies to parts of the capital and temporarily suspending the Kyiv subway because of low voltage. Forecasters and officials said a severe cold spell will continue into next week. Talks involving U.S., Russian and Ukrainian teams are expected on Feb. 1 in Abu Dhabi. Known facts: - Officials reported emergency power cuts across Kyiv, Zhytomyr and Kharkiv regions and parts of Moldova. - Ukraine's energy minister said a technical malfunction on cross‑border power lines caused a cascading outage and triggered automatic protections. - The outages disrupted water supply in Kyiv and temporarily halted the city's subway due to low voltage; forecasters warned of a severe cold spell. - U.S., Russian and Ukrainian officials are expected to hold talks on Feb. 1 in Abu Dhabi. Summary: The outages have left many without electricity and interrupted urban services in Kyiv and other areas while a severe cold period continues. Negotiations involving U.S., Russian and Ukrainian teams are scheduled for Feb. 1 in Abu Dhabi; further developments were not reported.