As the bitter winter chill grips Ukraine, the country is facing an unprecedented challenge in keeping its citizens warm. With Russia’s relentless attacks on energy infrastructure, leaving over a million Ukrainians without heating, the country’s Soviet-era apartment blocks and centralized heating systems have become a significant vulnerability.
Kyiv, the capital, has been a prime target of these strikes, with the latest bombardment on January 24th leaving nearly 6,000 apartment blocks without heat. This is the third such attack in just over two weeks, following strikes on January 9th and 20th that left hundreds of thousands shivering in their homes.
“Living in Kyiv is a bit of a gamble these days,” says Rita, a resident of the Ukrainian capital. “If you have heating and gas, there is no electricity and water. If you have electricity and water, there is no heating. Coming home is like playing a guessing game every day – will I be able to shower or have hot tea, or neither? And of course, missiles and drones come on top of all that.”
The widespread prevalence of apartment blocks that rely on communal central heating systems, a legacy of the Soviet era, is exacerbating the situation. These massive heating plants, which supply hot water and warmth to thousands of homes, have become prime targets for Russian forces. When they are hit, the consequences can be devastating for hundreds of thousands of people.
Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, around 11 million households in Ukraine relied on central heating, compared to just 7 million with autonomous heating systems. This Soviet-era urban planning, which focused on mass-producing cheap housing through pre-fabricated concrete panel buildings known as “panelki” and “khrushchevki,” has left the country particularly vulnerable to the current crisis.
“Ukraine inherited the Soviet heating system and it hasn’t changed anything, it stays predominantly centralised,” says Yuriy Korolchuk, a Ukrainian energy expert. “These heating plants were not designed to be attacked with missiles or drones, that’s why these vulnerabilities came to the fore during the war.”
The Ukrainian government is acutely aware of this vulnerability and is planning to reduce it by making individual heating points mandatory at apartment blocks. However, undoing decades of Soviet urban planning will not be a quick or easy task.
As the war rages on, Ukrainians are facing a winter of uncertainty, forced to adapt to the challenges posed by their Soviet-era infrastructure. The fight to keep warm has become an integral part of the broader struggle for survival in the face of Russia’s relentless attacks.