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State Emergency Service workers set up warming tents in Kyiv. January 10, 2026.
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‘They deliberately waited for freezing weather’ Hundreds of apartment buildings still without heat after massive Russian attack on Kyiv

Source: Meduza
State Emergency Service workers set up warming tents in Kyiv. January 10, 2026.
State Emergency Service workers set up warming tents in Kyiv. January 10, 2026.
Andriy Dubchak / Frontliner / Getty Images

More than 800 apartment blocks in Kyiv are still without heat as a result of Russian strikes on the capital, Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko reported on Monday. “Repair and restoration work continues around the clock,” he wrote on Telegram. 

Russia launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine on January 9, targeting critical infrastructure in Kyiv and its surrounding areas. At least four people were killed, and 25 others were injured. According to Klitschko, the strikes knocked out heating in about 6,000 apartment blocks across Kyiv — around half the capital’s apartment buildings. The attack also caused disruptions to the city’s water supply over the weekend. 

A Kyiv resident lights a “trench candle” in her apartment
Andriy Dubchak / Frontliner / Getty Images
A generator sits on the street in Kyiv. January 9, 2026.
Thomas Peter / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA
Kazakh volunteers make bread for Kyiv residents as part of the Yurt of Invincibility initiative. January 10, 2026.
Sergei Supinsky / AFP / Scanpix / LETA

Writing on Telegram on Sunday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko described Russia’s January 9 strikes as “one of the largest attacks” on Kyiv’s energy infrastructure during the full-scale war. “The situation was further complicated by difficult weather conditions and a significant drop in temperatures,” she added. 

Daytime temperatures in Kyiv are currently around -10°C (14°F), with nighttime temperatures dropping below -15°C (-4°F). Svyrydenko said that due to the extent of the damage, significant improvements in the energy supply situation are not expected until Thursday, January 15. In the meantime, both scheduled and emergency power outages remain in effect in various parts of the city.

A Kyiv resident with a bucket of snow in his apartment after it was left without running water. January 10, 2026.
Thomas Peter / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA
Apartment buildings without power in Kyiv. January 10, 2026.
Yan Dobronosov / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA

On Saturday, the Ukrainian energy giant DTEK reported that it was facing “the most challenging power situation” so far this winter. “In Kyiv, the enemy targeted [power plants] during a period of severe cold — when the load on the energy system is at its peak,” the company wrote on X. 

DTEK also noted that damage caused by harsh weather conditions has further compounded the attack’s consequences in the Kyiv region. According to Kyiv Regional Governor Mykola Kalashnyk, electricity supply had been restored to more than 370,000 households as of Sunday. However, icy conditions and fallen trees continued to complicate repair work. 

Kalashnyk reported on Monday that more than 2,000 households were still without power in the Kyiv region. 

“In many regions, the situation remains difficult after Russian strikes on our critical infrastructure,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement on Sunday. According to Zelensky, Russia targeted Ukraine with around 1,100 attack drones, more than 890 aerial bombs, and 50 missiles last week — including an Oreshnik ballistic missile. “They deliberately waited for freezing weather to make things worse for our people. This is deliberate, cynical Russian terror specifically against civilians,” he said.

Meduza has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from the very start, and we are committed to reporting objectively on a war we firmly oppose. Join Meduza in its mission to challenge the Kremlin’s censorship with the truth. Donate today.