More than a thousand Kyiv apartment blocks still without heating after Russian strike
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Residential buildings during a power blackout in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Jan 10.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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KYIV – More than 1,000 apartment buildings in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv are still without heating following a devastating Russian attack earlier this week, the local authorities said on Jan 11.
Russia has intensified bombardments of Ukraine’s energy system since it invaded its neighbour in 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched 1,100 drones, more than 890 guided aerial bombs and over 50 missiles, including ballistic, cruise and medium-range weapons, against Ukraine over the past week.
On Jan 9, a missile strike on Kyiv
Grid suffering from accumulated damage
Mr Zelensky said Russia deliberately waited for freezing weather to make things worse for the Ukrainian people, and this was “a cynical Russian terror specifically against civilians”. Moscow made no immediate response.
Residents wait while charging their devices inside a school classroom that has been turned into a humanitarian aid point during a power blackout in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Jan 11.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The war’s fourth winter could be the coldest and darkest yet, with the accumulated damage to the grid bringing utilities to the brink and temperatures, already below minus 12 deg C, set to plunge to minus 20 deg C later this week.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram: “Restoration work is ongoing. However, the energy supply situation in the capital remains very difficult.”
“According to forecasts, the severe frosts are not expected to subside in the coming days. Therefore, the difficult situation in the capital will continue,” he added.
Not one day without attacks this week
Ukraine’s energy ministry said Russian forces had attacked the country’s power system again during the night, briefly cutting off electricity to the south-eastern Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
“Not a single day passed this week without attacks on energy facilities and critical infrastructure. A total of 44 attacks were recorded,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Telegram.
Ms Svyrydenko said the restoration of heat and electricity supplies was proceeding at a record pace, noting significant improvements in Kyiv would require time but could be reached by Jan 15. REUTERS
