At the beginning of the harshest winter days in Kyiv, the city's life was plagued by the "main button" - electricity and heating. In an interview with Reuters, the capital's mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko, called on Kyiv residents to consider the possibility of temporarily leaving the city if the situation drags on.
According to Klitschko, Kyiv needs approximately 1,700 MW of power to provide stable electricity to 3.6 million people. But now the city has only about half of this need. As a result, this situation has become one of the most difficult energy trials for Kyiv since the beginning of the conflict.
The city leader was forced to use the harsh phrase "for the first time in history": in severe cold conditions, most of Kyiv was left without a heating system, and the electricity shortage became widespread. In some regions, residents may be left without a centralized power supply for up to 18-20 hours a day.
"The light went out" means life has stopped
Klitschko reported that last week, as a result of shocks to infrastructure, electricity was cut off in six thousand apartment buildings, and about 100 houses are still without heat. That is, the issue is not only about the "lamp" - the temperature in the house, the water system, elevators, the storage of medicines, the health of children and the elderly are also connected to this chain.
For this reason, the city's services are operating in an emergency mode: repair crews are on site day and night, and international partners are trying to quickly deliver additional generators for critical facilities.
Why did they say "leave for a while"?
Klitschko's call does not mean "panic" - he openly states that if it continues for a long time, this crisis will directly affect human security. In severe frosts, heating and power outages become a real threat to a large part of the population: houses get cold, pipes freeze, and utility systems are under pressure.
Against this backdrop, some Telegram sources also write that due to the flooding of the entrances and basements of some houses, as well as the shortage of personnel in public utilities, all appeals are not being addressed equally. This is the "internal" side of the situation, that is, not only energy, but the entire urban mechanism dependent on it is struggling.
DTEK: the most difficult period of winter
It is said that the complexity in the energy sector is not limited to Kyiv alone. The DTEK stated that the most difficult situation in the country's electricity supply during the winter season is being recorded, citing 187 brigades involved in network restoration work in the Kyiv region. Problems were also noted in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Conclusion: the situation is difficult, but efforts are underway to find a solution
The current picture is simple: Kyiv lacks the necessary power, and the cold "will spare no one." Therefore, the city administration, without hiding the danger, is also telling people about real options: whoever has the opportunity - to go to a safe place for a while is also considered a decision.
But there is another side: restoration work has not stopped, services are at the site, generators are being delivered. So, this is not the "end," this is a period of intense pressure. Most importantly, each household must assess the situation and choose the most appropriate solution for its own safety.
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