Power outage disrupts customs bases in Moldova: traffic to Ukraine is halted

The State Customs Service warned of citizens and international carriers about the temporary suspension of traffic on the border with Moldova.

"We would like to inform you that vehicles and goods are temporarily not allowed to cross the Ukrainian-Moldovan border due to the failure of the central databases of the customs authorities of the Republic of Moldova," the State Customs Service said in a Facebook post.

Earlier on Saturday, the customs service of Moldova reported temporary power outages at several checkpoints. It was noted that customs procedures were being carried out manually.

As of 13:20 on January 31, power supply was restored at all border customs posts.

"Work on fixing technical problems is ongoing, which is why customs procedures are still temporarily being carried out manually to ensure the smooth flow of cross-border traffic," the Moldovan Customs Service said.

UPDATE at 16:20. According to the Ukrainian Customs Service, the border crossing points of the Republic of Moldova are operating normally. Restrictions on crossing the border by trucks have also been lifted.

• A large-scale power outage occurred in parts of Ukraine and Moldova on the morning of January 31. The subway system was shut down in Kyiv and Kharkiv, and water supply was completely cut off in the capital and in Vinnytsia.
• The cause of the accident in the power grid was a technological failure with the subsequent disconnection of high-voltage power lines between Moldova and Romania.