Ukraine endures worst winter as Russia targets heating

Collecting snow for water at home; sleeping in gloves, coats and hats; heating bricks on gas stoves for warmth; erecting tents indoors - Kyiv residents are doing everything they can to survive the coldest, darkest winter of the war.

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People warm up in a tent provided by emergency services for residents whose apartments are left without heating during sub-zero temperatures following Russian missile and drone strikes on civilian infrastructure in Kyiv.

(REUTERS)

"When there is no electricity, there is no heating: it means the apartment freezes," said Anton Rybikov, father of three-year-old David and two-year-old Matvii, speaking to Reuters in their home, where he and his wife Marina have stocked up on backup batteries and sleeping bags.

The 39-year-old military chaplain said one of his sons recently contracted pneumonia after temperatures in the apartment fell to 9 degrees Celsius during a power blackout of more than 19 hours following Russian airstrikes.

"It’s emotionally very difficult. There is constant worry," Rybikov added, as he prepared to heat water in a metal milk churn. "This winter is the hardest."

Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent months, concentrating missile and drone strikes on the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipro. British military intelligence estimated that Russia launched 55,000 unmanned aerial systems at Ukraine last year, around five times the number in 2024, according to one of its regular reports on the war posted on X.