Thunderstorms and gale-force winds in Ukraine early on Monday caused electricity blackouts in 497 towns across seven regions. Two hundred and forty populated areas were affected in the Volyn region, 103 in Rivne region, 92 in Kiev region, 37 in Zhytomyr region, 17 in Lviv region, five in Zaporizhia region and three in Chernihiv region, the Emergency Situations Ministry reported.