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More than 1,000 apartment buildings in the Ukrainian capital kyiv remain without heating following a devastating Russian attack earlier this week, local authorities announced on Sunday.
Russia has stepped up its bombing of Ukraine’s energy system since invading its neighbor on February 24, 2022.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched 1,100 drones, more than 890 guided aerial bombs and more than 50 missiles, including ballistic, cruise and medium-range weapons, against Ukraine over the past week.
A missile strike on kyiv on Friday left virtually the entire city without power and heating due to a severe cold snap, and only on Sunday did authorities restore water supplies and partially electricity and heating.
Zelenskyy said Russia had deliberately waited out the freezing weather to worsen the situation for the Ukrainian people, and that it was “cynical Russian terror specifically directed against civilians.” Moscow gave no immediate response.
The network suffers from accumulated damage
The fourth winter of the war could be the coldest and darkest ever, with accumulated grid damage putting utilities on the brink and temperatures, already below –12°C, expected to plunge to –20°C later this week.
“Restoration work is underway. However, the energy supply situation in the capital remains very difficult,” Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram messaging.
“According to forecasts, the severe frosts are not expected to ease in the coming days. The difficult situation in the capital will therefore continue.”
Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said Russian forces attacked the country’s power system again overnight, briefly cutting power to the southeastern regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia.
“Not a single day has passed this week without attacks on energy facilities and critical infrastructure. In total, 44 attacks have been recorded,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Telegram.
Svyrydenko said the restoration of heat and electricity supplies was proceeding at a record pace, stressing that significant improvements in kyiv would take time but could be achieved by Thursday.
