Around three million people currently live in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. After several Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure, they currently have to save electricity, especially in the mornings and evenings. Should the electricity fail completely, they should leave the city.
In the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, authorities are preparing for a winter blackout scenario over damage to the power system, which includes evacuating the entire city. “If there’s no electricity, there’s no fresh water. The sewage system doesn’t work either,” Civil Defense Director Roman Tkachuk told the New York Times. “Therefore, the government and the city hall are taking all possible precautions for this scenario.”
According to the information, those responsible in the city around Mayor Vitali Klitschko would be informed about the impending blackout about twelve hours before the power grid collapsed. “If that happens, we will ask citizens to leave the city,” Tkachuk said. The situation is still under control. There are no signs that a large number of citizens are leaving the city.
In the evening on Ukrainian television, Mayor Klitschko also called on the population to prepare for the “worst possible scenario”. Citizens should stock up in case there might be a breakdown in electricity, heat or water supplies in the Ukrainian capital, he said. They should also prepare to temporarily find accommodation outside of Kyiv.
If the district heating system collapses in winter, the city wants to set up 1,000 heat rooms that can also serve as air raid shelters. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure it doesn’t get that far,” Klitschko continued. “But we want to be frank: Our enemies are doing everything to ensure that this city is without heating, without electricity, without water supply. They generally want us all to die.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to destroy the Ukrainians as a people, said the former world boxing champion. “Putin doesn’t need us Ukrainians. He needs the area, needs a Ukraine without us.”
According to Klitschko, around three million people currently live in Kyiv, including 350,000 internally displaced persons from other parts of Ukraine. A good eight months after the start of the war, the Ukrainian energy infrastructure is the main target of Russian attacks. In the capital Kyiv and six other regions, there are therefore restrictions on the power supply. In entire districts, the lights are switched off for customers at different times in order to stabilize the network. This also gives experts the opportunity to repair the systems damaged by rocket and drone attacks and bring them back on line, said energy supplier Ukrenerho.
The Ukrainian leadership describes the Russian actions as “energy terror”. In addition to Kyiv, the Kharkiv, Poltava, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Cherkasy and Chernihiv regions are also affected by the power cuts. People there are called upon to save electricity, especially during peak times in the mornings and evenings. Washing machines and heaters should only run at night if possible, and unnecessary light sources should remain off.
