KYIV: When the power is out, as it so often is, the high-rise apartment overlooking Ukraine’s capital feels like a deathtrap. No lights, no water, no way to cook food. And the risk of not being able to escape from the 21st floor in time should a Russian missile strike. Even when electricity comes back, it’s never on for long.
“Russian strikes are plunging Ukraine into the Stone Age,” said Anastasia Pyrozhenko. In a recent 24-hour spell, her 26-storey high-rise only had power for half an hour. “We’re preparing for the worst winter of our lives,” she said.
The situation in Kyiv, and other cities has deteriorated following the largest missile attack on the country’s power grid on Tuesday. President Zelensky said over 10 million Ukrainians were left without electricity after the strikes.
Ukrainian state-owned grid operator Ukrenergo said there would be scheduled outages in every region on Monday. A bitter cold and first snow hascomplicated the situation in Kyiv, where temperatures are often below freezing in winter months. Authorities said they were setting up communal heating points in city where people will be able to keep warm, recharge their phones and get help, In the city of 3 million people, 528 emergency points have been identified. The heating points will be equipped with autonomous power sources. Many residents in Kyiv have begun to leave boxes of food, flashlights and power banks in elevators, in case anyone gets stuck in one for a long time.
Due to the lack of electricity, public transport is disrupted and many smallmedical institutions can’t work. Dentist Viktor Turakevich said that he was forced to postpone his patients’ appointments “for an indefinite time” because without electricity his clinic can’t function even during the day, and the generator will only arrive in a few weeks. “Generators are not easy to come by and so we can’t accept patients even with acute toothache,” he said. Most hospitals in Kyiv have already received generators and there are no power outages there yet. Read More