The 16-meter banner was torn in half by strong winds, officials in Kiev have said
A storm in Kiev has torn Ukraine’s largest flag in half, city officials reported on Monday. The national symbol was damaged despite being lowered to half-mast in an attempt to protect it from the strong winds.
Officials in the Ukrainian capital announced on Telegram that the damaged section of the banner, which was the country’s largest hanging flag, had already been removed from the mast. They promised a new flag would be raised as soon as the weather permits.
The flagpole and the flag itself are the largest in Ukraine, with the mast standing 90 meters tall and weighing as much as 32 tons. The banner measures 16 meters by 24 meters.
Social media users have also posted images of the torn flag, which can be seen dangling on the mast, apparently torn at the seam between its yellow and blue sections.
A severe snowstorm covered Ukraine on Monday, leaving over 2,000 settlements without power and forcing the closure of over a dozen motorways, according to authorities.
Along the Black Sea, high winds have also caused significant damage in Russia’s Republic of Crimea. Local authorities declared a state of emergency as nearly 500,000 people have been left without power.
The “once in a century” storm saw winds of up to 144 kph tear through the peninsula on Sunday, leaving at least one person dead and up to 10 residents injured. It also caused the deaths of some 500 marine animals at an aquarium in the port city of Sevastopol.
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