Second line of Russia's energy bridge to Crimea won't be enough to end rolling blackouts

Activating the second line of mainland Russia's energy bridge to Crimea will not be enough to call off Crimea's state of emergency, according to the peninsula's prime minister, Sergey Aksyonov, though rolling blackouts will be reduced to 3-4-hour periods a day, at worst.

"With the launch of the first line [of the energy bridge]," Aksyonov said, "we were able to supply homes throughout Crimea with at least 12 hours of electricity every day. The launch of the second line will allow us to work out a schedule for the industrial and commercial sectors. But a small deficit will remain."

After a series of explosions at electrical towers in southern Ukraine, Crimea was left without 70 percent of its required electricity supply. In response to the crisis, officials in Crimea have instituted a series of rolling power and water blackouts.

On September 20, Crimean Tatar activists launched a blockade targeting all food shipments into Crimea, closing the border to freight trucks carrying food. On November 23, the Ukrainian government suspended all freight traffic between Crimea and Ukraine.

On December 2, Russia activated the first line of a power bridge that spans the Kerch Strait, connecting Krasnodar to Crimea. Vladimir Putin attended a ceremony in Simferopol, Crimea, to mark the achievement, promising that the power bridge's second line would come online by December 20.