Temperatures in Ukraine have plunged as low as -19 degrees Celsius this week, with the region seeing its harshest winter in 20 years. Amid this freezing spell, Russian drone and missile strikes have left Kyiv grappling with the worst heating and electricity outages of the war.
Russia's Defence Ministry claims it is targeting energy infrastructure used by Ukraine's military. Municipal heating plants serve thousands of civilians. Overnight, more than 300 Russian drones and missiles, including Iskanders, hit Ukraine. At least four people were killed in Kharkiv, reportedly at a post office. Utility company DTEK warned that a municipal heating plant was hit again, its eighth attack since October, while temperatures hovered around -15 degrees Celsius.
For many Kyiv residents, electricity is available for only a few hours daily, and apartments have gone without heat for days. Power generators hum on snowy sidewalks, water runs intermittently, and nerves are fraying as Ukrainians struggle to endure relentless attacks that have devastated much of the country's energy network. One week after a major Russian strike on January 9, many homes in Kyiv remain without heat or utilities.
Inside homes, every breath turns to mist as indoor temperatures drop to single digits. Millions across Ukraine brace for even colder months without heat, electricity, or respite. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had declared a state of emergency in the energy sector on Wednesday.
“At -18 degrees Celsius in Kyiv, electricity and heating are not just nice to have,” Nataliya, a 55-year-old, told The Kyiv Post. She has had reduced heating and no hot water since Monday, relying on water bottles filled with warm water to sleep through the night.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reported that heating remained cut off to about 400 residential buildings, mostly on the left bank, down from roughly 6,000 after Monday's attack.
A web designer, said her brother, whose house is still under construction, “wasn't really ready for this cold. Now they are kinda day by day struggling to keep the pipes alive.”
A Russian combined missile and drone strike knocked out a thermal plant in the Kyiv region just before the cold spell. Authorities had to drain hot water to prevent catastrophic damage. Days later, just as gradual blackouts were announced, another strike cut power once again.
Some residents have been slightly luckier. An engineer on the right bank said, “I had heating all the time with reduced intensity. Additional clothes and a warm duvet keep me in comfortable conditions.”
A US resident in Kyiv opened his apartment to friends so they could continue remote work.
Supermarkets have partially closed due to equipment failures. Residents said they cook on camping stoves or boil instant noodles. In Kyiv, streetlights are out, and trams and trolleybuses have stopped running.
Russia has made no secret of its strategy to target Ukraine's energy and heating networks. “There is not a single power plant in Ukraine that has not been hit by the Russians during the war,” Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said. Rolling outages are imposed as utility workers repair the damage.
Emergency officials have set up heating tents in Kyiv, as per RFERL. A mother-of-three said, “We dressed the youngest in two onesies and a warm sweater. A neighbor brought over a wool sweater from the 1940s. And I grabbed a fur from the maternity hospital, which I also put on him.”
Targeting civilian energy is a clear violation of international law. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for two top Russian officers for targeting civilians.
