Severe weather has claimed at least ten lives, cut power to tens of thousands of people, and blocked roads in a country already strained by Russia's war.
More than 1,500 vehicles had to be freed from the snow Image: Ukrainian Armed Forces/Handout via REUTERS
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Hurricane-force winds and relentless snowfall have left ten people dead and 23 injured in snowstorms that swept Ukraine since Sunday.
The storm caused widespread damage in southern Ukraine, the south of Russia, and the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in violation of international law in 2014.
"As a result of worsening weather conditions, ten people died in Odesa, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Kyiv regions," Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko wrote on the Telegram app on Tuesday.
"Twenty-three people were injured, including two children," Klymenko added.
Winter storm pounds Black Sea region
A storm in the Black Sea region has caused severe damage. There have been power outages, flooding and meter-high snow drifts in Bulgaria, Ukraine and Russia.
A storm in the Black Sea region has caused severe damage. There have been reports of power outages, flooding and closed roads in Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Russia. A blanket of snow covered northeastern Bulgaria, after unusually heavy snowfall.
Image: DOYCHINOV/AFP
Odesa in the dark
Traffic was broad to a standstill by snowstorms in the region of Odesa. Ukrainska Pravda reported that the 110-meter-high chimney of a combined heat and power plant collapsed on Sunday night. On Monday morning, around 150,000 households were still without electricity and residents were told to stay indoors. Schools remained closed.
Image: Viacheslav Onyshchenko/SOPA Images/IMAGO
Traffic chaos in Ukraine
Winter has already arrived in earnest in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Authorities said there had been hundreds of incidents after the severe winter storm in the Black Sea region. Some 1,300 trucks and around 840 cars were either involved in accidents or got stuck in the snow. As it gets increasingly colder, there is growing concern that Russia will target the energy infrastructure in air strikes.
Image: Oleh Tymoshenko/ZUMA Wire/IMAGO
Ice-cold floods in Crimea
There have been reports of heavy flooding in the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. A 50-year-old man drowned and seven people were injured in the storm. The Russian-installed governor, Sergei Aksyonov, has declared a state of emergency. Here, people are trying to escape the freezing weather and floods in inflatable boats.
Image: Sergei Malgavko/TASS/dpa/picture alliance/dpa
Meter-high snow in Isperih
Many country roads in Bulgaria are currently blocked by snow and broken branches that need to be cleared. Certain important mountain passes were closed and air and rail traffic was restricted. Over 1,000 towns and villages were affected by power cuts. Four regions have declared a state of emergency.
Image: Bulgarian News Agency/AP Photo/picture alliance
Storm surge in Sochi
The region of Krasnodar in southern Russia has seen major damage from the storm. Huge waves crashed against the promenade in Sochi, a popular seaside and vacation resort, not far from the Georgian border. Wind speeds of 86 km/h ripped down hundreds of trees. Loading at the Novorossiysk pipeline was stopped and oil tankers were brought to safety as waves reached a height of eight meters.
Young people in the Turkish capital of Ankara, far from the coast, made the most of the unusual amount of snow to enjoy themselves, protected from the cold by only their hoodies.
Image: Evrim Aydin/Anadolu/picture alliance
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Cut off power
Russia's war in Ukraine has put a strain on the country's energy grid and rescue services.
The relentless storm has also disrupted power supplies, leaving 411 settlements in 11 regions without electricity.
Authorities said the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions were hardest hit by the power cuts, with 40,000 homes initially affected in Kyivregion.
On Monday night, 15,000 homes in the capital region were still without electricity.
Rescuers teams have also assisted nearly 2,500 people in Odesa alone. Emergency services said they treated people for injuries from falling trees and hypothermia.
