Last night was bitterly cold in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv: -17 degrees, without electricity or heating, says Belgian photojournalist Arnaud De Decker. The fourth winter of war is the harshest yet, and the fierce Russian attacks on energy supplies are making it even worse. President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared a state of emergency.
Foreign News
‘Better cold and dark than under Russian occupation’: Freezing Kyiv tests Ukrainians’ resilience
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De Decker, from Brussels, has already experienced four harsh winters of war in Ukraine. But this is the worst. Like other residents of Kyiv, he has to charge all his appliances and power banks during the day when the electricity is on.
But he lives in the centre of the capital. “There are neighbourhoods on the left bank with high-rise residential towers. Around 500 of those towers have been without electricity and heating since last Friday. The situation there is truly dire,” he says. “I don’t understand how those people can live there and go to work every day.”
The Ukrainian government wants to use the state of emergency to cushion the worst shocks and repair the devastated energy infrastructure. Zelensky also wants to set up additional “points of indestructibility” around the capital: large tents where people can go throughout the day for warmth, electricity and a hot meal.
“It’s quite a moving sight,” says De Decker, after visiting one of these emergency centres. “I spoke to an elderly man who was keeping his spirits up. He said the situation was difficult, but that it only makes them stronger. He said: ‘Spring will start in seven weeks, then the situation will improve automatically. We will get through this time.’”
Another woman told De Decker about her resilience, saying: “It’s a very difficult situation, but better to live in the cold and dark than under a Russian flag.” “That shows that people are still fighting,” says De Decker. “It shows that Ukrainians are already used to a lot, they have built up a thick skin. And that resilience is now coming to the fore.”
But the people’s resolve is being severely tested. This is the harshest winter of the war, with temperatures below -10 degrees for two weeks and set to remain that way for at least another 10 days. The cost of fuel for generators is going up, with long queues at petrol stations, while supermarkets are closing due to price increases.
500 of those towers have been without electricity and heating since last Friday. The situation there is truly dire
“The people I talk to say they haven’t experienced winters like this in 10 years,” De Decker says.
Zelensky has accused Moscow of deliberately exploiting the harsh winter conditions as part of its war strategy. Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump says Zelensky is holding up efforts to secure a peace deal to end nearly four years of war with Russia.
He told Reuters on Wednesday that Ukraine “is less ready to make a deal” than Russian president Vladimir Putin.