Kyiv residents stranded in tower blocks as Russia targets power system

Olena Janchuk spends another day of freezing isolation in her high-rise apartment.

- YIV, Ukraine (AP) - Olena Janchuk

OLENA Janchuk

The former kindergarten teacher suffers from severe rheumatoid arthritis, and has been trapped for weeks on the 19th floor of her Kyiv tower block, 650 steps from the ground.

Long daily blackouts caused by Russia's bombardment of power plants and transmission lines have made working elevators a luxury.

With January temperatures plummeting to -10 Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit), there's a permanent line of frost on the inside of Janchuk's windows, white patterns creeping across the glass by morning.

The 53-year-old huddles over a makeshift fireplace of candles arranged beneath stacked bricks, designed to absorb and slowly release heat. USB charging cables snake across the floor from overloaded power strips, while her electric blanket is hooked up to a power bank rationed for the coldest hours.