As of Sunday, January 25, there are still 1,330 residential buildings in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, without heating, accounting for about 15% of the city’s housing stock. Some residents have been without heating and electricity for a long time in sub-zero temperatures since January 9.
According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, after Russia launched a large-scale air raid on critical infrastructure in Ukraine on Saturday, nearly 6,000 buildings in Kyiv temporarily lost heating. Although the energy team has restored over 4,000 of them, the damage has not been completely eliminated. Vitaliy Zaichenko, CEO of the Ukrainian national power company Ukrenergo, stated that the heating situation on the left bank of the Dnieper River (east side) is particularly critical, and the affected area is expanding to the right bank.
This wave of attacks on Kyiv is part of Russia’s recent escalation of bombing the Ukrainian energy system. Reuters pointed out that Russia recently launched a large-scale attack on the national energy system, leaving approximately 1.2 million households nationwide without electricity during the harsh winter.
This attack comes at a time when negotiations for a ceasefire between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States are ongoing in the UAE.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attacks on social media platform X, stating, “Russia’s current main targets are our energy sector, critical infrastructure, and residential buildings.” He mentioned that in just the past week, the Russian military has launched over 1,700 drones, more than 1,380 guided bombs, and 69 different types of missiles at Ukraine.
Zelensky emphasized, “Every Russian large-scale attack can have devastating consequences. That’s why we need missile defense systems every day. We are continuing to cooperate with the US and Europe to ensure our airspace has stronger protection.”
To address the energy crisis, the Ukrainian Interior Minister noted that 1,300 heating tents have been set up in Kyiv to provide shelter for the people.
This is the third wave of large-scale attacks on Kyiv this month following the assaults on the 9th and the 20th. The repeated bombings have left the city’s water, electricity, and heating systems in a fragile state.