According to the data from global internet access tracker NetBlocks, widespread internet outages affected strategic port city of Mariupol, Sumy, and other regions of the country due to constant bombing campaigns and rocket fire launched by Russian military forces.
Alp Toker, director of NetBlocks, told ZDNet that “Mariupol and Sumy are the main outage incidents we're tracking today.”
“The reduction in connectivity is attributed to power outages and the destruction of infrastructure in most of the major conflict zones, and the figure also reflects population flight as people leave home and shutter businesses,” Toker said.
Widespread outages across Mariupol were registered on Wednesday. Residents told BBC that “they are trying to survive a relentless barrage of Russian shelling that has smashed residential districts and cut off power and water supplies.”
According to one resident, he has spent two full days without light, heat, and water. There is also shortage of food, water, and medicine.
In Kyiv, connectivity started to decline gradually from Thursday morning as civilians fled the capital or sought shelter, according to NetBlocks. The company also detected progressing disconnections on network operator Kyivstar by 2 March. Kyivstar reported that over 500 base stations have been knocked out due to power outages and damage to infrastructure in conflict zones.
On March 3, a major blackout was registered across Sumy Oblast in northeast Ukraine, as residents reported massive blasts at the thermal power plant and electrical substation.
TVUA 24 editor-in-chief Olha Konsevych confirmed on Twitter that two explosions damaged the CHP plant and the electrical substation, and said that were left without heat, water and electricity.
Cybersecurity Help’s statement on the critical situation in Ukraine
On February 24, people in many cities and towns across Ukraine woke up to the sounds of explosions and artillery fire, as the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion of the country. Such actions are unacceptable, political ambitions of any man aren’t worth of blood, tears, and destruction of millions of lives. We give our full support to the Ukrainian people in these hard times. No more war!