KYIV: A severe snowstorm bringing strong winds blanketed Ukraine on Monday, leaving more than 2,000 settlements across 16 regions without power and more than a dozen motorways closed to vehicles, authorities said.

The extreme weather comes as tens of thousands of troops man front-line positions in the 21-month-old war with Russia and amid fears Moscow could target the power grid with air strikes this winter.

At least 1,370 cargo trucks were stuck and 840 cars had to be towed away amid snow drifts that in some places were two meters (6.56 ft) high, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko wrote on the Telegram messenger.

Southern and central Ukraine were the worst hit, he said. More than 1,500 rescue workers were involved in a massive clean-up effort, according to the state emergency service, which posted photos of cars, buses, and cargo trucks which had veered off snowbound roads.

Ukraine’s largest private energy provider, DTEK, said early on Monday that it had been able to restore power to nearly 250 settlements.

On Sunday, the mayor of the Black Sea port of Odesa urged residents to stay at home, and authorities warned that water supplies were being interrupted by power cuts that stopped pumps from working.

First US winter storm of 2023 brings snow, sleet and tornado threat

Ukraine’s border service also said on Sunday that Moldova had temporarily suspended vehicle access to its territory from two crossing points in the Odesa region.

In the capital Kyiv, city officials said the weather had caused a tear in the country’s largest flag, but that it was being replaced and would be raised again after the weather has cleared.