For the Ukrainians it is the worst winter of war so far. But people are not letting Russia’s attacks get them down, reports a Kiev resident.
January 21, 2026, 11:59January 21, 2026, 11:59
Martin Küper / t-online
After one of the worst Russian attacks this winter, at least the sun shone over Kiev on Tuesday. But it hardly brought any warmth. Even during the day, temperatures in large parts of Ukraine currently do not rise above minus 12 degrees, and at night the frost can even reach minus 20 degrees. And the Kremlin seems to have been waiting for this kind of weather.
View of Kyiv: Even during the day, temperatures currently do not rise above minus 12 degrees.Image: imago
The Kremlin troops fired more than 300 kamikaze drones during the night, as well as “a significant number of ballistic missiles and cruise missiles,” as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj announced on Tuesday.
The capital was hit particularly hard again, where the Russians targeted electricity power plants and the heat supply. 70 percent of the city is now without electricity, according to the energy supplier Ukrenergo. And according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, almost 6,000 multi-story residential buildings are once again cut off from heat and water supplies.
Putin wants to break the Ukrainians’ will to persevere
A majority of the houses had just been reconnected to the power supply. The Russians had already struck with such force on January 9th that large parts of the capital were cut off from electricity, water and heat. The cities of Dnipro in the center of the country and Odessa in the south were also hit. According to Ukrenergo, there are currently power outages in “several regions” of Ukraine.
A woman in a warming tent in Kiev: People can also charge their electronic devices there.image: imago
The Kremlin’s calculations behind the latest attacks are as obvious as they are cynical: the attacks on civilian infrastructure in the dead of winter are intended to trigger a humanitarian crisis, drive as many people as possible to flee and break the morale of Ukrainians in their defense against the Russian attack. The Russian army has already tried to destroy Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure in previous winters of war. But the Russians have not come as close to their goal as they did this winter.
“Definitely the hardest winter of war so far”
Kiev-based journalist Denis Trubetskoy also confirms this. “Russia has always attacked the civilian population heavily in recent winters, but this is definitely the hardest winter of war so far, and not just in Kiev,” explains Trubetskoy in an interview with t-online. The situation is particularly critical in eastern Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, not far from the front. The Russians would also attack the infrastructure there with short-range drones.
But when it comes to electricity, the situation in Kiev is even more difficult, reports Trubetskoy. In the capital, people have almost gotten used to having no electricity for 18 to 19 hours a day. “And the majority of people in the city do not expect the power supply to be fully restored before the end of the war.” At least the heating didn’t break down in his part of the city.
Permanent frost could damage residential buildings
“In other parts of the city the situation is even more dire, even parliament cannot meet because the building is also cut off from the heat supply,” says Trubetskoy. What must it be like for the people who are now enduring temperatures around freezing point in their homes? “To be honest, I wonder that too. Going to sleep in a jacket is completely normal for many people right now.”
On social media, Ukrainians report the conditions in their homes and share tips on how to stay warm. In some pictures you can see ice forming on the inside of apartment windows. The permanent frost inside poses a risk of permanent damage to many residential buildings, for example through burst water pipes. This photo is intended to show how an ice sheet formed in a Kiev stairwell after a pipe burst at minus six degrees:
Icy stairwell in a Kiev residential building: With temperatures in the double digits below zero, almost 6,000 apartment buildings are currently cut off from heat supplies.image: screenshot x
So far, people are not fleeing Kiev
In order to somehow generate heat, many of those affected build improvised heating devices in their homes. Instructions shared in chats show tea lights in grill bowls, with baking stones or buckets of water above them to absorb the heat. But the improvised ovens are not safe and increase the risk of fire. According to the fire department, there have been fires in the past few days because fire safety regulations were not adhered to. In other cases, people are said to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning because they left generators running indoors.
People can also seek shelter from the bitter cold in warming tents set up by local authorities. Journalist Trubetskoy also reports great solidarity among Kievans. “Many shops in the city have generators running to provide electricity. After major attacks like today, they let people charge their devices and also serve tea,” he reports. “People are trying to cope with what’s going on right now.”
People seek protection from the bitter cold in the warming tents.Image: imago
After the serious Russian attack on January 9th, Mayor Klitschko called on people in Kiev to seek shelter with friends or relatives outside the city. However, Denis Trubetskoy has not yet been able to detect any major escape movements from Kiev. «I find that quite remarkable. It shows the mental strength of the people and that they have prepared well internally for this winter,” he says. “Putin wants to bring us to our knees with his psychological warfare, but he’s not succeeding.”