Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
ones Ukraine More than one million people affected by severe cold snap No heating or electricity as Russia Increased attacks on energy infrastructure.
Elderly residents and people with vulnerable family members told independent With temperatures as low as -15°C, they felt cold and unable to cook proper meals.
Frustrated and afraid of death, many people are struggling to survive the winter as power outages plunge Ukraine’s cities into darkness, illuminated only by bright flashes of light. Russian drone and missile attacks.
“It makes you feel depressed,” said Kyril Tulenev, 33, a Dnipro resident. “You can’t do anything. You can’t check the news. You can’t use your stuff properly. Sometimes you can’t call anyone because there’s no contact.”
Hundreds of thousands of people were without power and heat on Thursday across large swaths of the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions in central and southeastern Ukraine.
An attack in Kiev on Friday knocked out power to 500,000 people, prompting Mayor Vitali Klitschko to appeal to people to evacuate temporarily as temperatures plummeted.
Kirill paints a bleaker picture of life outside the home. The gas stations were icy, the streets were dead, and the traffic lights no longer worked.
Kirill’s girlfriend’s family – which includes a disabled uncle and an elderly grandfather – are struggling. Unlike Kyril, who lives in an apartment, the family lives in an aging house that is riddled with cracks and exposed to cold weather.
“The uncle can’t move by himself, so they need to take care of him. They need to take him to the toilet. They need to give him a bath. There’s no electricity, no water, and it’s a bit difficult for them to take care of him,” he said.
Residents also faced problems with no access to refrigerators to keep food fresh, no running water (due to low water pressure) and no Wi-Fi to connect with their families. Kirill’s girlfriend has an electric oven at her home; when the power goes out, they can’t cook their own meals.
Kirill said Ukrainians are worried about the cold snap currently sweeping across much of Ukraine. Kirill explained that power plants limit power generation during very cold weather – when Ukrainians need power the most – because cold weather puts additional stress on energy facilities.
An elderly grandmother who asked not to be named told us independent Born during World War II, she thought she had weathered the worst of it.
Wrapped up in bed and staring at the ceiling, candles burning on her nightstand, she said she couldn’t believe there was a war going on among the people standing shoulder to shoulder against the Nazis.
Some Ukrainian organizations, such as Rozvitok Mista in Krivoy Rog, are providing support to vulnerable people and the elderly, helping them survive the power outage and visiting those who have no one to care for them.
Another organization, Hope for Ukraine, is distributing solar kits in blackout areas to help rebuild long-term resilience for Ukrainian civilians living in or near frontline towns.
It is in these towns that continued drone and missile attacks make daily life so difficult. Olena Yanchenko, a 54-year-old grandmother in Krivoy Rog, was nearby when a Russian missile hit an apartment building in the city, killing one person and injuring 24 others, including six children.
Olena said the evening strike plunged the city into darkness. Hours earlier, a night strike caused a power outage across Dnipropetrovsk.
“It was really scary,” she said of the moment the city was plunged into darkness during a Russian airstrike. “Every time I feel like this is the last day of my life.”
Olena was heading to the store to buy food for her cat when she heard a noise in the air, rushed into the store and took cover with the help of a store clerk.
“At this point, there was a huge explosion. We were all stunned, and I remember my hands were shaking and my heart was beating, and then [the shop assistant] cried. It was really shocking to me, I don’t even remember how I got home.
“Then the whole city was without power. It was really dark. I was really scared.”
The first blackout in Krivoy Rog began when a massive Russian attack overnight caused a massive blackout in the Dnipropetrovk region, just hours before Ojena saw a missile strike on Thursday night.
Olena, a school teacher, said the city was still without electricity and heating on Friday, with temperatures dropping to -3 degrees Celsius.
Children will return to school on Monday. Many schools have generators, which means they have lights to work, but without heaters they may have to study in their coats.
“We’re going to do whatever we can,” she said. “But it’s really hard. We try to be prepared. Of course, we have warm clothes. No matter what. [we can]we want to survive. The Ukrainian people are brave. “
Another resident of Krivoy Rog, 84-year-old Dragan Mikhail Petrovich told us independent He feels “anxious, scared and exhausted” as the city faces near-total power outages over the next few days during one of the coldest times of the year.
“Conditions like this make us appreciate simple things and the support of our loved ones,” he added. “Especially in my case when you’re bedridden.”
NGOs warn that older people are particularly vulnerable to a lack of heating, especially those who have limited mobility and do not have family members to help them.
“I am worried because the cold and possible power outages bring additional difficulties to daily life,” Mr Petrovich said. “The heating boiler in our house barely works without electricity. It’s very cold in the house. It’s quite difficult to protect yourself from the cold in these conditions.
“These actions are criminal and inhumane.”