Blackout Hits Crimea After Power Line Blasts, Russian Federation Says

Crimea has been plunged into darkness after pylons carrying power lines which supply electricity from Ukraine were reportedly blown up on Saturday night.

It wasn't clear early Sunday whether the blasts occurred in Ukrainian territory or in Crimea, which Russian Federation annexed previous year despite worldwide outrage and a spate of Western sanctions aimed at forcing Moscow to return the peninsula to Ukrainian control.

The first deputy premier of Crimea, Mikhail Sheremet, said the peninsula could only supply half its power needs at most using diesel generators and renewable sources such as wind and solar power, the TASS state news agency reported.

Power is out across the Crimean pensinsula, after electrical towers in the neighboring Ukrainian region of Kherson were blown up by a group of unknown people.

They say the damaged power lines have to be repaired as soon as possible because supply with electricity not only Crimea, but also a few areas in Kherson and Mykolaiv regions of Ukraine. Crimea and Sevastopol were part of Ukraine until 2014, when the residents of the two territories voted to become part of Russian Federation following an armed coup in mainland Ukraine.

Images circulated on social media appeared to show Ukrainian flags attached to the damaged pylons.

"Crimea is completely cut off", Viktor Plakida, the director of Crimea Energy, told Russia's Tass news agency. Reserve power capacities were used on the peninsula for ensuring power supply to socially important facilities.