Train and road traffic across Ukraine were heavily disrupted by severe weather, just as a major Russian attack cut heating to homes in the capital on Friday.
Overnight, Russia struck Lviv with its nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile, while the capital Kyiv came under a massive, hours-long aerial assault, leaving half the city – close to 6,000 homes – without heating as temperatures dipped below -9°C (16°F).
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko has advised locals to leave the capital for areas with power and heating if possible, as temperatures are expected to drop to nearly -20°C (-4°F) in the coming days.
The severe weather is also impacting roads and trains nationwide, according to authorities.
No driving in Kyiv
On Thursday evening, the Kyiv City Administration asked locals not to drive on Friday “unless absolutely necessary” due to blizzards and icy roads.
“Due to difficult weather conditions, Kyiv residents are urged not to travel around the city or use their own cars on Jan. 9 unless absolutely necessary,” it wrote in an update.
“Tomorrow, Jan. 9, the capital will be hit by the elements – heavy snow at night and in the morning, wind gusts of 15-20 m/s, a blizzard, and icy roads,” it added.
“We emphasize: Ice and sleet caused by precipitation and temperature fluctuations can occur repeatedly throughout the day, even with continuous operation of utility services.”
Snow piled on interstate highways
On Friday, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration – Minister for Communities and Territories Development Oleksiy Kuleba also noted major snow buildups on highways.
He said the cyclone has passed and restoration work is ongoing, though some roads are still being affected as of noon.
“The most difficult situation was in the Zhytomyr region. Up to 35 cm (14 inches) of snow fell here in a day. The peak of the cyclone has passed, but work to ensure traffic on state roads continues,” he wrote in an update.
Kuleba said sections of the M-06, M-07 and M-21 are being affected in particular.
“About 100 road workers and 80 units of special equipment worked continuously in the region throughout the night. The most difficult sections: M-06 Kyiv – Chop (bypasses of Korostyshev and Zvyahel); M-07 Kyiv – Kovel – Yagodyn (near Buchmaniv); M-21 Vystupovychi – Zhytomyr – Mogilev-Podilskyi (Singury village district),” he added.
Freight trucks are also temporarily barred from the roads in parts of the Rivne, Zhytomyr, Lviv and Volyn regions.
“In a number of regions, temporary restrictions are in place for the movement of heavy vehicles on the most difficult sections,” he wrote. “The ban on the movement of freight vehicles on sections of the M-06 and H-22 highways in Rivne, Zhytomyr, Lviv and Volyn regions continues.”
State railway announces train delays
Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine’s state railway, also warned of delays for most trains inside the country on Friday.
“Due to the delay of a number of trains caused by abnormal weather conditions, we will be sending a number of flights from their original point with deviations from the schedule,” the update says.
The delays range from 30 minutes to four hours, depending on the route:
- No. 114 Uzhhorod – Kharkiv +1.5 hours
- No. 42 Truskavets – Dnipro +1 hour
- No. 143 Sumy – Rakhiv +3 hours
- No. 60 Chop – Kyiv +1.5 hours
- No. 57 Yasinya – Kyiv +1 hour
- No. 18 Uzhhorod – Kharkiv +1 hour
- No. 158 Chop – Lviv +1.5 hours
- No. 157 Lviv – Chop +30 minutes
- No. 48/104 Chop, Lviv – Barvinkove +1.5 hours
- No. 291 Kyiv – Lviv +30 minutes
- No. 219 Dnipro – Kyiv +4 hours
- No. 178 Ivano-Frankivsk – Kyiv +3 hours
- No. 771 Kyiv – Khmelnytskyi +3 hours
- No. 6 Yasinya – Zaporizhzhia +2.5 hours
Ukrzaliznytsia added that schedules may change and advised passengers to follow announcements at train stations.