Russian Defenses in Crimea ‘Washed Away’ During Huge Winter Storm

A huge winter storm currently battering Ukraine has washed away Russian defensive positions in parts of occupied Crimea, according to reports.

Over the weekend and into Monday, large parts of Ukraine have been hit by heavy snowfall and strong winds.

Ukrainian Interior Ministry advisor, Anton Gerashchenko, posted video of what he said was the coastal regions of Crimea being battered by waves with the sea surging onto the coastline.

He wrote: “A storm washed away trenches in occupied Crimea that Russian army dug out on the beaches.

“According to information from Crimean media, in Yevpatoria the water washed away the defense line on the coast, engineering buildings and firing positions.

“The speed of wind at the coasts of occupied Crimea reaches 115-130 kilometers per hour, the waves are 8-9 meters tall. In the Crimean Mountains, the wind is up to 150 kilometers per hour.”

According Moscow's energy ministry, nearly two million people in Russia and occupied Ukraine without electricity, Moscow's energy ministry said on Monday.

"About 1.9 million people remained without power supply as of 10:00 Moscow time due to unfavourable weather conditions," it said, listing the Russian regions of Dagestan, Krasnodar and Rostov, as well as the occupied Ukrainian regions of Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

The Odesa region of Ukraine has also been heavily hit by the storm. The Ukrenergo National Power Company, said in a post on social media: “The snowstorm was so strong that a metal power transmission pole had been left broken.

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“The regional power company’s distribution networks were affected too.”

On Sunday, the Odesa-Reni highway was a no-go for all vehicles due to intense snowfall, and truck restrictions were now in place on the Kyiv-Odesa Highway.

In Kyiv, the capital woke up on Monday morning to heavy snow and strong winds. An orange weather warning is in place.

In his nightly video address on Sunday evening, President Zelensky said “extremely challenging weather” was affecting large parts of the country.