Amid a sweeping blackout, Belgorod region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that protecting one’s home “largely lies in the hands of homeowners.” He said officials are conducting door-to-door visits to speak with residents about the need to buy generators, reports the news outlet Agentstvo.Novosti.
“There are a huge number of households that can purchase [them] but, hoping, excuse me, that they’ll be spared and this trouble will somehow pass them by, they don’t buy generators. But yesterday’s events showed that a very difficult period has already begun,” Gladkov wrote on social media.
Overnight into January 9, energy infrastructure was damaged by shelling — according to the “Dossier Shpiona” channel, HIMARS rocket systems struck the Luch and Belgorod combined heat and power plants, as well as the Belgorod substation. (https://theins.ru/news/288320) Immediately afterward, 556,000 people across six municipalities lost electricity, roughly the same number lost heating, and another 200,000 were left without water. The governor called the situation “extremely difficult.”
Residents said on social media that many couldn’t cook, charge phones or use elevators in high-rise buildings. To secure water, some melted snow. Lines formed at gas stations and ATMs.
On Friday afternoon, Gladkov promised to resolve the problem by the end of the day, and the regional operations headquarters set a specific deadline of 6 p.m. But by Saturday morning, the situation had not fully normalized. The Belgorod Region Water Utility reported a partial restoration of water supply in northern Belgorod only around 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Gladkov said backup generation cannot fully offset the lost capacity for industrial facilities and residential buildings, and that a full restoration of power will take time.
