Ukrainians Face Severe Cold as Emergency Crews Work to Restore Power Amid Ongoing Outages

As emergency crews in Ukraine strive to restore power during the coldest winter in years, many residents face prolonged outages. The situation is exacerbated by damage to energy infrastructure from Russian attacks.

International

-Sathish Raman

Updated: Thursday, January 15, 2026, 0:21 [IST]

Emergency repair teams in Ukraine's Kyiv region are working tirelessly to restore electricity after Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. These assaults have left many Ukrainians facing one of the harshest winters in recent years. In Boryspil, a town with about 60,000 residents, workers are dismantling and rebuilding damaged electrical systems. They work from early morning until midnight in temperatures as low as -15°C (13°F), according to Yurii Bryzh of DTEK.

Despite their efforts, power is only available for four hours daily. Bryzh noted that when electricity returns, people immediately use all their appliances, causing the system to collapse again. The situation is dire, with Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko describing it as the most extensive outages since Russia's full-scale invasion nearly four years ago. Some homes have been without power for days, leaving apartments freezing cold.

Impact on Daily Life

Residents of Kyiv are struggling to cope with the lack of heat and light. Mykhailo and Hanna, both scientists, shared how their daughter's bedroom temperature has plummeted to -15°C (13°F). They rely on a gas stove for cooking and huddle together under heavy blankets at night. "We have to use all the blankets we have in the house," Hanna said. Their daughter accompanies them to work because her kindergarten lacks heating.

Christmas decorations still adorn their apartment walls, occasionally illuminated by flashlights. Zinaida Hlyha, 76, uses her gas stove to heat water, which she places in bottles to warm her bed. She remains resilient, acknowledging that soldiers on the front lines face even harsher conditions. "Of course it's hard, but if you imagine what our guys in the trenches are going through now, you have to endure," she said.

Community Resilience Amid Hardships

Tetiana Tatarenko expressed fear after a Shahed drone struck a nearby building. With two sons fighting in the war, she feels life has come to a standstill in her cold apartment. "It's as if life in the house has stopped, that's the feeling," she said. Her neighbour, Raisa Derhachova, an 89-year-old physicist living alone, sometimes plays piano despite the cold. "Of course, it's hard to survive this," she remarked.

The Russian attacks target power plants and substations, making it difficult to replace equipment like transformers quickly. Dennis Sakva from Dragon Capital stated that procuring replacements can take months. He highlighted two types of heroes in Ukraine: "They are the military and energy workers."

As snow blankets Kyiv and darkness envelops its streets at night, residents continue to endure these challenges with resilience and hope for better days ahead.

With inputs from PTI