VLADIVOSTOK, Russia — The power company cut service Thursday to several military facilities in and around Russia's Pacific port of Vladivostok because they hadn't paid the bill.
Army, navy and air force units suffered blackouts for six hours, said Mikhail Tsedrik, spokesman for the Dalenergo power company.
Regional media quoted military commanders as saying that the cuts did not undermine the units' combat-readiness because the affected units switched to alternative power supplies provided by batteries and diesel power generators.
Tsedrik said the electricity was turned on again after the Defense Ministry in Moscow pledged to pay the $6.7 million debt it has accumulated in the region by the end of January.
As with many government institutions and private companies, the military occasionally faces power cutoffs over its debt. In a few cases, army units have seized power plants to restore their energy supplies.