Kyiv returns heat under frosty pressure: how the capital of Ukraine is experiencing another energy failure

On February 1, the mayor of Kyiv announced the partial restoration of heating in the capital’s apartment buildings. Heat began to be restored after an accident in Ukraine’s energy system, which left thousands of residential buildings without heating during the coldest period of winter.

Work to restore the heat supply continued for two days without stopping. According to city services, on the evening of January 31, 3,419 residential buildings were without heating. A few hours later, by 22:35, their number had decreased to about 2,600. By the morning of February 1, heat was absent in about a thousand homes — a figure still critical but significantly lower than peak values.

City authorities emphasize that utility services and energy workers are working around the clock. The main task is to return heat as quickly as possible to apartments where families with children, elderly people, and patients receiving home treatment live. According to the mayor, priority is given to areas with the highest load and the most worn-out networks.

Amid this situation, extremely cold weather has settled in Kyiv. On the morning of February 1, a frost of minus 16 degrees was recorded. During the day, meteorologists predict around minus 13, and at night the temperature may drop to minus 20. In such conditions, even a short-term absence of heating becomes a serious risk to people’s health and lives.

The causes of the accident go deeper than a local failure. A systemic malfunction in the energy system occurred on January 31 and affected almost all regions of the country. During the day and evening, the electricity supply was restored, but the consequences for the heat supply, especially in large cities, turned out to be more long-term.

Ukraine’s energy infrastructure remains one of the key targets of Russian strikes since the beginning of the full-scale war. In January, attacks on energy facilities led to repeated power and heat outages in different regions of the country. Even brief interruptions in power supply trigger a chain reaction — pumps stop, pressure in systems drops, and time is needed for a restart.

It is in this context that many experts note that what is happening in Kyiv is not just a utility accident, but part of a broader picture of a war of attrition on infrastructure. NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency previously noted that the winter period makes energy strikes especially painful for the civilian population, increasing humanitarian risks.

Of particular note is the fact that, according to Ukrainian reports, Russia agreed to temporarily refrain from strikes on Kyiv and several other regions until February 1 at the request of the United States — precisely because of the severe frosts. However, even a brief pause could not fully protect the system from accumulated damage and internal failures.

The one thousand four hundred thirty-eighth day of the war became another day of energy trials for Ukraine. In Kyiv and Kharkiv, the metro temporarily stopped, water supply disruptions were recorded in certain areas, and the absence of heating exacerbated already difficult living conditions.

Destroyed infrastructure, worn-out networks, and the constant threat of new strikes continue to complicate the work of utility services. Nevertheless, energy workers and city services emphasize that they are doing everything possible to stabilize the situation and restore basic living conditions in Ukrainian cities.

For millions of Ukrainians, this winter has once again become a test of endurance. And every restored home, every launched boiler house is not just a technical success, but a matter of survival in the conditions of an ongoing war.