KYIV - Ukrainian power grid operator Ukrenergo has started emergency shutdowns of some consumers in seven regions amid a record heatwave and after the failure of power equipment, the company said on Tuesday.

Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine's energy sector have intensified since the spring, resulting in blackouts in many regions and forcing Kyiv to start large-scale electricity imports from the European Union.

"Tonight there was an equipment failure at one of the energy facilities. The energy deficit in the system increased," Ukrenergo said on the Telegram messaging app.

It said the company had ordered emergency shutdowns in the Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad regions.

  - Reuters