Temperatures reached minus 19ºC in the Ukrainian capital this week. At the same time, Russian forces intensify attacks, hitting negative infrastructure
Kiev – Kateryna Skurydina goes to bed in thermal clothing, two nightgowns and a scarf. Cover yourself with a feather duvet and two blankets. But his secret weapon is his cat, Pushok.
“He has a high body temperature. Therefore, he is like a hot water bottle”, he begins by telling CNN.
The heating in Kateryna’s Kiev apartment has been largely off since Russia launched a massive attack on the city’s energy infrastructure on January 8, leaving hundreds of thousands of homes, businesses and schools in the capital without power.
Temperatures reached minus 19ºC this week and authorities understand that this wave of Russian attacks – in the middle of what the Prime Minister describes as the harshest winter in 20 years – is no coincidence.
Like most Ukrainians, Kateryna has become accustomed to living with constant power cuts. It has several portable chargers and blackout-proof devices. Kateryna’s apartment is filled with USB-powered artificial candles, Christmas lights and camping lanterns.
The cold, however, is something new.
The temperature inside your building reached 10ºC in recent days, eight degrees below the indoor temperature considered healthy by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“It’s very difficult mentally. Now that I’m without heating, I realize that I don’t need electricity that much. When you have heating, but no electricity, everything is fine”, he confessed, mentioning his habit of exercising to improve his mood during blackouts.
“Sport keeps me active. I go to a gym that runs on ecological energy. [Mas] Yesterday they even closed the gym because there is no heating and it is very cold. You can’t go anywhere.”
State of emergency
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday declared a state of emergency for the country’s energy sector, admitting that the consequences of Russian attacks and extremely low temperatures were very serious.
According to Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Thursday, around 300 multi-story buildings in the capital remained unheated, far fewer than the 6,000 that were left without power following the previous week’s large-scale Russian attack.
Although Kiev was the most affected city, emergency power cuts were recorded across the country.
According to Ukrainian authorities, on Wednesday a large-scale Russian attack on Kryvyi Rih – Zelensky’s hometown in central Ukraine – left tens of thousands of people without electricity. There were also reports of major blackouts in Dnipro, in southeastern Ukraine. On Thursday, the attacks caused power cuts in Zhytomyr in the west and Kharkiv in the northeast, according to the Ukrainian Energy Ministry.
Many schools closed, unable to heat classrooms to safe temperatures. Shops, cafes and restaurants, which normally offer some relief to residents looking for heat and electricity, were also forced to close.
This week’s cold was so intense that some diesel generators – essential for maintaining electricity when the grid supply is interrupted – stopped working.
Stas helps his 2-year-old daughter use the car’s flashlight during a blackout in the family’s apartment in Kiev, January 13, 2026. Andrew Kravchenko/AFP/Getty Images
Authorities in Kiev and other parts of the country have managed to secure hundreds of “invincibility points” where residents can stay warm, charge their devices and work. On Wednesday, Zelensky promised that more of these “invincibility points” would be opened.
Iryna Palandina, who went to one of these aid points in Kiev on Thursday, told CNN that she had no electricity, no running water and no way to cook at home.
“We came to have tea because I don’t even have a way to heat water,” he says. “After the last attack, everything became very difficult. Before that, we were more or less managing. I always thought that our family was prepared, that we had an inverter, UPS, batteries, (…), but when we only have two hours of electricity a day, the battery runs out and there is no time to recharge”, he explained.
On social media, Kiev residents who have more daylight hours are offering help to those who don’t. In some residential condominiums, during blackouts, neighbors gather in the courtyards to cook together over a fire and socialize. Videos are spreading on social media showing people roasting meat, drinking hot drinks and dancing to keep warm.
Russia has consistently denied that it is attacking civilian infrastructure, despite extensive evidence to the contrary.
On Thursday, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) released data showing that there have been at least 256 Russian airstrikes on energy facilities and heating systems across Ukraine since the start of the heating season in October.
In a statement, the SBU said that the figures show that the attacks “aim to destroy the Ukrainian people and constitute crimes against humanity”.
The Ukrainian Energy Minister declared on Friday that there was not a single power plant left in the country that had not been hit by Russian forces during the war.
International organizations and Ukraine’s allies have condemned Russia for attacking Ukrainian energy facilities.
“A very resilient nation”
Serhiy Salata is the owner of “I’m Salata”, a company that grows lettuce and other agricultural products in specialized vertical farms in Kiev. For the plants to survive, Serhiy needs the temperature, light and the amount of CO2 in the air to be as constant as possible – a difficult task when unexpected power cuts are a constant threat.
The company has solar panels and a generator to power the most vital parts of the system, but is still partially dependent on power supplies from the electrical grid.
“Conditions force us to constantly experiment”, he observes. “For example, I need to calculate the temperature in the room so that if the lights are turned off for four hours, the temperature does not drop below the critical level.”
Ukrainians warm themselves in a tent provided by emergency services for residents whose apartments were left without heating during a wave of subzero temperatures in Kiev, Ukraine, on January 13, 2026. (Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Sitting in her freezing apartment, Kateryna Skurydina turned to the internet to stay warm, ordering an electric blanket and two hot water bottles online.
“In a moment of desperation, when it was very cold, I ordered everything I saw. Everything I liked”, he confesses, pointing to a device made with a clay pot and several candles. “It works like a fireplace for your hands. It doesn’t heat the room itself, but if I’m sitting next to it at the computer, it makes me a little warmer.”
Meanwhile, Kateryna’s cat, Pushok, started eating soup. “Maybe because it’s hot? He normally hates it. But he started eating it little by little”, he says. Pushok means “Cute” – an ironic name, given that it is a Sphynx and has no fur.
“When Covid arrived, it seemed like it was the worst thing in the world. Then, it seemed like the worst thing in the world was the bombings, and then the lack of electricity. I think we will be a very resilient nation”, comments Kateryna, stroking Pushok over her sweater.
“I already know how to live without electricity, without heating, under bombings. Any day-to-day problem will be solved much more easily. I will be that grandmother who always, I hope, has a portable charger charged for any eventuality, a pack of candles, freeze-dried food and everything running on batteries or USB”, predicts Kateryna.
