More than 1,000 apartment complexes in Kyiv, Ukraine, are currently lacking heating services after a severe attack by Russia earlier this week, confirmed local officials on Sunday. Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24, 2022, there has been an escalation in attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed that Russia deployed 1,100 drones, more than 890 guided aerial bombs, and over 50 missiles, including ballistic and cruise missiles, targeting Ukraine in the past week. A recent missile strike in Kyiv on Friday resulted in a widespread power and heat outage across the city during freezing weather conditions. It wasn’t until Sunday that water supplies were restored, and partial electricity and heating services were reinstated.
Zelenskyy accused Russia of deliberately waiting for cold weather to exacerbate the situation for Ukrainian civilians, labeling it as “a cynical Russian terror aimed at civilians.” Meanwhile, Moscow has not yet responded to these allegations.
The ongoing conflict has severely impacted the energy grid, with the accumulated damage pushing utilities to the brink. Temperatures in Kyiv, already below –12°C, are expected to drop further to –20°C later this week, making it potentially the coldest and darkest winter since the war began. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko highlighted the challenging energy supply situation in the capital, emphasizing that the severe frost is likely to persist in the coming days.
Despite ongoing restoration efforts, the capital’s energy supply remains precarious. Ukraine’s Energy Ministry reported that Russian forces launched attacks on the power system, resulting in brief electricity cuts to the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions overnight. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko mentioned that there were 44 attacks on energy facilities and critical infrastructure throughout the week. She expressed optimism about the swift restoration of heat and electricity supplies, noting that substantial improvements in Kyiv may take time but could be achieved by Thursday.