It's not the electricity cuts that Yulia Hailunas struggles with most after the Russian airstrikes. It's the fact that it's so bitterly cold inside her own home. Like so many Ukrainians, she's had no central heating since Russia launched a wave of targeted attacks on the power grid in January.
So Yulia now lives in a long, quilted coat and hat in her flat, and rests her feet on a saucepan-full of hot water to keep them from freezing. If that's not enough, she lifts weights for 10 minutes to get warm.
When the weather outside is above zero, it's just about bearable. But later this weekend, the temperature in Dnipro is forecast to plunge below -20C. In Kyiv and elsewhere, it could be colder still.
That's what's really scary, because all the heating pipes will burst and we won't be able to repair them again. It will be a catastrophe, Yulia worries.
On Thursday, Donald Trump announced that Vladimir Putin had agreed to halt attacks on Ukraine's major cities during the horrendously cold snap, supposedly for a week. The US president called it very nice of his Russian counterpart to agree to an energy truce. But details were sparse from the start.
The next day, the Kremlin clarified that Putin's burst of good will expires on Sunday, just as the coldest weather bites. There is usually a week or more gap between massive aerial attacks in any case, so it's unclear whether Russia has actually paused anything.
There has been no major strike since 24 January, when hundreds of tower blocks in Kyiv lost power and heating. It has been quieter for a bit, but I don't know if that's linked, a doubtful Yulia says, suspecting the strikes will restart at any moment.
I think Putin wants to turn people against their government, to have them say: 'Just give Russia anything to make this stop', Yulia asserts. He wants to break us, but it won't work.
Ukraine's heating system is breaking down though. The Geneva Convention bans attacks on infrastructure that cause excessive harm to civilians. Yet this is the fourth winter in a row that the energy grid has been deliberately targeted by Russia, leaving it more fragile and harder to repair. Engineers from Ukraine's national rail company are working around the clock to restore electricity and patch up heating pipes across Dnipro, Kyiv, and beyond.
An extended pause in strikes on the sector would provide a welcome break, but few Ukrainians trust Russia to deliver that. That's because, elsewhere, deadly strikes have not stopped. On Friday, one person was killed and several injured when a bus in Kherson was hit by shelling, while air raid warnings for drones were issued.
Along the eastern frontline, fighting remains intense, forcing more civilians to evacuate. Families like Kateryna's, who fled their homes, express the deep emotional toll of abandonment amidst chaos. Kateryna described leaving her village, saying, It's like abandoning a piece of yourself.
As anticipation builds for further negotiations and the potential for peace, trust in Russian intentions remains low among Ukrainians. The conflict's toll on daily life and the uncertain future looms as a harsh reminder of the enduring struggle faced by many.
So Yulia now lives in a long, quilted coat and hat in her flat, and rests her feet on a saucepan-full of hot water to keep them from freezing. If that's not enough, she lifts weights for 10 minutes to get warm.
When the weather outside is above zero, it's just about bearable. But later this weekend, the temperature in Dnipro is forecast to plunge below -20C. In Kyiv and elsewhere, it could be colder still.
That's what's really scary, because all the heating pipes will burst and we won't be able to repair them again. It will be a catastrophe, Yulia worries.
On Thursday, Donald Trump announced that Vladimir Putin had agreed to halt attacks on Ukraine's major cities during the horrendously cold snap, supposedly for a week. The US president called it very nice of his Russian counterpart to agree to an energy truce. But details were sparse from the start.
The next day, the Kremlin clarified that Putin's burst of good will expires on Sunday, just as the coldest weather bites. There is usually a week or more gap between massive aerial attacks in any case, so it's unclear whether Russia has actually paused anything.
There has been no major strike since 24 January, when hundreds of tower blocks in Kyiv lost power and heating. It has been quieter for a bit, but I don't know if that's linked, a doubtful Yulia says, suspecting the strikes will restart at any moment.
I think Putin wants to turn people against their government, to have them say: 'Just give Russia anything to make this stop', Yulia asserts. He wants to break us, but it won't work.
Ukraine's heating system is breaking down though. The Geneva Convention bans attacks on infrastructure that cause excessive harm to civilians. Yet this is the fourth winter in a row that the energy grid has been deliberately targeted by Russia, leaving it more fragile and harder to repair. Engineers from Ukraine's national rail company are working around the clock to restore electricity and patch up heating pipes across Dnipro, Kyiv, and beyond.
An extended pause in strikes on the sector would provide a welcome break, but few Ukrainians trust Russia to deliver that. That's because, elsewhere, deadly strikes have not stopped. On Friday, one person was killed and several injured when a bus in Kherson was hit by shelling, while air raid warnings for drones were issued.
Along the eastern frontline, fighting remains intense, forcing more civilians to evacuate. Families like Kateryna's, who fled their homes, express the deep emotional toll of abandonment amidst chaos. Kateryna described leaving her village, saying, It's like abandoning a piece of yourself.
As anticipation builds for further negotiations and the potential for peace, trust in Russian intentions remains low among Ukrainians. The conflict's toll on daily life and the uncertain future looms as a harsh reminder of the enduring struggle faced by many.
