Angry Residents Protest Power Cuts Amid Heatwave in Southern Russia

Residents in southern Russia's Krasnodar protested recent power cuts caused by an ongoing heatwave. Local governor Veniamin Kondratyev acknowledged the strain on the energy system, which led to power outages and a temporary shutdown of a nuclear power unit. Rare protests occurred despite risks of arrest.

Residents angry over recent power cuts in southern Russia staged a rare public protest on Saturday in the city of Krasnodar, posts on social media said, as the local governor blamed a heatwave for causing the blackouts. The south of Russia has been affected by unusually hot weather that has caused mass power outages in several regions and led to the shutdown earlier this week of one of four power units at the Rostov nuclear power plant, the region's largest.

The unit has been put back into operation since then. 'There has been abnormal heat in the Krasnodar region for a week now. The load on the energy system is colossal. I know and understand all the indignation of residents due to power outages,' Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Krasnodar region, said on the Telegram messaging app.

He said power capacities were not currently sufficient to meet peak demand during the hot summer months. One video posted on the Baza Telegram channel appeared to show police making at least two arrests during Saturday's protest.

Russian authorities have clamped down on any protest activity, especially politically laced dissent, since the start of the conflict with Ukraine in February 2022, and public protests are very rare given the risk of arrest.

(With inputs from agencies.)