Kiev has been in a critical situation for nearly two months due to Russia’s intense attacks on the energy infrastructure, stated the mayor of the Ukrainian capital, Vitalii Klitschko, in an interview with the Financial Times. According to him, the city is on the “verge of disaster”, as millions of inhabitants face the harshest winter since the beginning of the large-scale invasion.
Vitalii Klitschko emphasized that the Russian air bombings, constantly carried out in recent months, have severely affected the city’s essential infrastructure.
“At this moment, the question about the future of our country, whether we will survive or not as an independent country, remains open”, declared the mayor of Kiev, according to the Financial Times.
Approximately 3.5 million inhabitants of the Ukrainian capital endure extreme conditions, as temperatures have dropped below minus 20 degrees Celsius, and the city is covered by a thick layer of ice and snow.
Extreme winter and massive power outages
The situation was exacerbated by simultaneous attacks launched by Russia, which involved hundreds of missiles and drones. These have caused widespread interruptions of electricity, heat, and water supplies. The bombings targeted three major power plants, essential for Kiev’s centralized heating system, as well as other energy facilities in different regions of the country.
Ukrainian authorities assert that response teams are working non-stop to mitigate the effects of the attacks and to restore basic services. According to the mayor, on February 14, heating was resumed in another 1,100 residential blocks in Kiev, but the situation remains extremely fragile.