“Storm of the Century” hits Russia, Ukraine and Moldova, leaving eight dead

Hundreds of thousands of people were cut off from electricity in the affected areas.

Eight people have died in Russia, annexed Crimea and other occupied provinces of Ukraine and Moldova as a result of severe storms affecting the wider region.

The “Storm of the Century,” as Russian media call it, began on Sunday and is affecting Crimea, southwestern Russia and the regions of Ukraine partly controlled by Moscow: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson.

A man was found dead in the coastal resort of Sochi, where local authorities urged residents and visitors to stay away from the sea. Another man was killed in Crimea who “went to see the waves,” as governor’s advisor Oleg Kryuchkov said on public television. In the Kerch Strait, between Crimea and Russia, one person on board the ship died, while another death was reported in Novorossiysk, in the Krasnodar region.

“Crimea has escaped Armageddon,” local governor Sergei Aksyonov said, declaring a state of emergency in some municipalities.

The Russian Energy Ministry said that by early morning, about 1.9 million people were without electricity in the areas affected by the weather. Winds of up to 144 kilometers per hour were recorded during the storm.

Ukraine is also being hit by a snowstorm that has closed highways and left nearly 2,000 communities without power.

The Moldovan authorities announced the death of four people due to bad weather conditions. The two were found dead inside their car covered in snow near the town of Koskalia.