According to a report by Russia's RT on October 12, Ukrainian parliament member Marianna Bezuhrya recently warned that residents of Kyiv should consider temporarily evacuating the city this winter.
She pointed out that the Ukrainian army can no longer effectively prevent Russia's continuous attacks on energy facilities, and both the power and heating systems in Kyiv face the risk of collapse.
Bezuhrya bluntly stated: "Russia can almost arbitrarily destroy any critical infrastructure in Ukraine; the only question is how many missiles and drones it will launch."
She reminded the public to prepare for the worst, even warning that Kyiv could be completely drained during the winter — plunging into darkness, water shortages, and no heating.
At the same time, the office of Kyiv's mayor admitted that recent rounds of missile attacks have caused power outages and water supply interruptions in some areas, with dozens of energy facilities damaged.
Although emergency repairs are ongoing, facing increasingly frequent attacks and an aging energy system, the Ukrainian authorities must now confront a reality: if Russia continues to target the energy network, the capital may fall into a nightmare even worse than previous winters.
Kyiv Power Outage
Kyiv is currently in a typical high-pressure state.
It seems that there are still vehicles and crowds on the streets, but the basic operation of the city has already become extremely vulnerable.
The energy crisis is the primary concern. Thermal power plants have been hit multiple times by missiles, and electricity supply is intermittent. Many residential areas can only guarantee limited hours of lighting each day.
The water supply system depends on electric pumping stations. Once the power goes out, tap water is immediately cut off.
Some residents in certain neighborhoods have had to get water from fire hydrants or wells.
Food prices have soared, and heating fuel and generators have become new hard currencies. Even candles and batteries are being snapped up.
A greater threat lies in the fact that the average winter temperature can drop to as low as minus ten degrees Celsius. If heating is completely interrupted, millions of residents would face a survival crisis.
Recently, Romanenko, former deputy chief of the Ukrainian Air Force, admitted that the Patriot system is effective at only 6%, barely able to intercept improved Russian missiles.
For ordinary Kyiv residents, this means they could be plunged into power outages, water cuts, and loss of communication at any moment.
War may be far from the front lines, but in reality, it seeps into every household through energy and cold.
Kyiv Power Outage
It should be noted that the cold in Kyiv in winter is truly capable of freezing many people to death.
Over the past three years, the severe winter in Ukraine has repeatedly led to tragedies.
In late 2022, after the capital experienced a continuous power outage for 72 hours, the temperature dropped to minus eight degrees Celsius, and several elderly people and homeless individuals were found dead from hypothermia.
Kyiv's housing is mainly Soviet-style centralized heating, with hot water delivered from power plants to each building. If the power plant or main pump room is bombed, the entire city turns into an ice house.
Apartments have poor insulation, and indoor temperatures can drop below freezing within six hours after the heating is cut off.
The elderly, infants, and those with heart disease are the first to give way. Ambulances are delayed due to snow-covered roads, and hospital backup generators can only last for a few days.
For many families, staying means gambling with their lives, betting on whether electricity and gas will continue to be supplied, and hoping this winter won't be too cold.
Kyiv Power Outage
However, even so, a full-scale evacuation of Kyiv is not realistic.
In 2025, Kyiv's permanent population is approximately 2.8 million, plus its surrounding satellite cities, making the actual living area over four million.
Transferring such a large population in a short time is impossible, given the lack of transportation, fuel, and accommodation conditions.
The Ukrainian railway system took several months to evacuate four million people during the national evacuation in 2022. Now, railways and highways are already overloaded and cannot handle such a large number of people.
Another issue is the capacity to receive them. Western Ukrainian cities have already accepted a large number of refugees, and resources are tight, with outdated infrastructure. A large-scale migration would cause a breakdown in health, food, and housing.
More importantly, there is symbolic significance. Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine. If the population is cleared, it would amount to admitting the inability to protect, equivalent to losing a psychological battle against Russia.
Therefore, Bezuhrya's call for evacuation is a way of shifting responsibility. She does not actually want everyone to flee, but rather to tell people that the government cannot protect Kyiv's energy supply, and you have to find your own solutions. If something really happens, don't blame me for not warning you.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7560585064531182107/
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