More than a dozen dead as storm sweeps through Russia, Ukraine and Moldova
Hurricane force winds, snowfall and flooding that swept parts of southern Russia, Ukraine and Moldova left at least 18 people dead Monday and almost 2 million without power, authorities said.
Dubbed the 'storm of the century' by Russian media, the violent weather has lashed the southern regions of Dagestan, Krasnodar and Rostov, as well as the occupied Ukrainian territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea since Sunday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been following reports of the "meteorological disasters" and ordered the government to take measures to help the affected regions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Russia's energy ministry said about 1.9 million people were affected by power cuts.
Four people were reported to have died in Russia and Russian-annexed Crimea due to the storms, with another four reported dead in Moldova.
In Ukraine, at least 10 people were dead and 23 were injured, piling pressure on emergency services and an energy grid already burdened by Russia's invasion.
"Ten people died in Ukraine due to bad weather. Twenty-three people, including children, were injured," the interior ministry said in a statement on social media.
The severe weather left almost 1,500 towns and villages in the dark after storms dumped up to 25 centimetres (10 inches) of snow in some places, AFP earlier reported.
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