Kiev residents brace for harsh winter amid increased attacks

KIEV

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services, a rescue worker checks a car destroyed following a Russian strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

The first days of autumn chill have only barely set in over Kiev, but winter is already dominating conversations among residents, who are making plans in case Russian strikes once again knock out the energy system.

The shadow of last winter hangs over Kiev, which was plunged into darkness and bitter cold for weeks when Russian forces struck the country’s power and heating infrastructure while temperatures dropped as low as -20 degrees Celsius.

As Russia stepped up assaults on Kiev, the question of what to do this winter is particularly pressing for families with children, said Oleksandra Matveieva, founder of a Facebook group for mothers.

“Now it seems Russians have started bombing Kiev heavily,” she said.

“Immediately, people, mostly mothers, started writing: ‘we’re ready to leave anywhere, as long as it’s not too far and expensive.’”

Travel Mama Club, originally founded for traveling mothers before evolving into an advice forum during the war, has recently seen a surge in publications concerning accommodation in relatively safer western Ukraine, or abroad.

“People are looking for a Plan B, even booking refundable apartments,” she said. “They still don’t know yet whether they will actually leave.”

Russia has over the past month stepped up its attacks on the capital and air raid alerts urging locals to seek shelter due to incoming drones and missiles are now a nightly and, increasingly, daily occurrence.
If it used to target Kiev mainly during the hours of darkness, Moscow now attacks more in broad daylight. The alerts paralyze life across the city, especially in schools and hospitals, which follow strict safety protocols.

The strikes are part of escalating infrastructure attacks by both Russia and Ukraine, which U.N. investigators warn are leaving civilians increasingly vulnerable as winter approaches.

U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to target each other’s energy facilities, but the proposal failed to materialize.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 23 that “Ukrainians understand that this winter could be very harsh for us, but in response we will have no choice but to make it painful for Russia too.”

Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko, who has been criticized by the government for failing to present a clear strategy, has said the city completed 80 percent of its preparations ahead of winter.

Besides heating and energy, there are fears Russia may seek to destroy water supplies, Ukraine’s Energy Minister Denys Shmygal said in August.

Residents are making their own preparations, dusting off the generators, portable batteries and hot water bottles they relied on last year, while making adjustments.

Some hold on to the hope the weather will be milder this year.

“If it’s cold again, as critically cold as it was last year, I will leave,” said Matveieva, who has a daughter.
“I’ll take her and get her out of here.”