2nd LD: State of emergency imposed in Crimea after destruction of electricity pylons

Russia on Sunday declared a state of emergency in Crimea after its electricity pylons were blown up, which completely cut off Ukraine's power supply to the peninsula.

Emergency mobile generators have been used in parts of Crimea, which could last for nearly a month, Russia's Energy Ministry said.

Power supply has resumed in all large cities on the peninsula, Crimea's First Vice-Premier Mikhail Sheremet was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency.

Curbs on electricity consumption have been imposed in the peninsula as authorities are trying to restore power lines, and an estimated 480 megawatt power supply is needed in Crimea.

"An emergency team has been set up to monitor the power supply in Crimea. Important infrastructural and social facilities have been connected to mobile supply devices," Alexei Friedman, deputy director of Crimea agency of Russia's Emergency Ministry said.

"The peninsula is in a stable situation. There is no state of panic," he added.

Unidentified offenders on Friday morning destructed several electricity pylons in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, including two important power lines leading to Crimea, the Interfax news agency quoted Ilya Kiva, director of the Anti-Corruption Agency of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, as saying.

In a separate report, Interfax quoted a journalist named Osman Pashaev as saying that the power lines that had been restored on Saturday night were damaged again early Sunday morning with "an explosion in the Chaplynka district of the Kherson region."

Neither the Russian nor the Ukrainian side has given an official explanation of the cause of the explosion. Endi