A powerful winter storm wreaked havoc in Southeastern Europe and along the Black Sea coast, leaving at least 13 people dead and dozens injured in Ukraine, Moldova, and Russia. The storm toppled trees, knocked down power lines, and left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity.
In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reported five deaths and 19 injuries in the city of Odesa, emphasizing the importance of communities taking measures to minimize casualties due to severe weather. According to the Ukrainian Energy Ministry, strong winds and snowfall left 882 settlements without power in 12 regions, with the Odesa region being the hardest hit.
Moldova, Bulgaria, and Romania were also affected by the storm, which originated from the Black Sea and brought snowfall as far north as Moscow. Authorities in Moldova reported nine road accidents resulting in two deaths and 14 injuries, as well as two fatalities in a car engulfed by mud near the village of Coscalia. In Russia, about 1.9 million people experienced power cuts in several southern regions, along with the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, and Crimea regions.
The storm caused significant damage in the Krasnodar region of Russia, resulting in injuries, fatalities, and the grounding of a Belize-flagged cargo ship. In addition, severe disruptions were reported in the cities of Novorossiisk and Sochi, including the loss of lives and damage to property. The storm also led to evacuations in Sevastopol, with reports of injuries, power outages, and the loss of animal life at the Aquarium Museum.
In Romania, Moldova, and Bulgaria, heavy snowfall and blizzards caused widespread disruption to daily life, with hundreds of cities and villages experiencing power and water outages. Emergency declarations were made in various regions, underscoring the far-reaching impact of the winter storm across the affected areas.
The winter storm’s devastation highlights the vulnerability of communities to extreme weather events, prompting a need for robust disaster preparedness and response efforts to mitigate the impact on lives and infrastructure. The toll of the storm serves as a reminder of the importance of proactive measures in addressing the risks associated with severe weather conditions, particularly in vulnerable regions.