15% of Kyiv residential buildings remain without heat after Russia's attacks, Mayor Klitschko says

Editor's note: This piece was updated with the latest Mayor's comments.

There are 1,330 residential buildings in Kyiv — around 15% of the city's housing stock — that remain without heating after Russian attacks on critical infrastructure, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Jan. 25.

Home to more than 3 million people, Kyiv is still struggling to restore power, heating, and water after Russian attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure on Jan. 9, Jan. 20, and Jan. 24. Some homes have been without heating and power since Jan. 9.

Since the last Jan. 24 attack, almost 6,000 of Kyiv's roughly 12,000 apartment buildings have been left without heating, while local energy workers had just managed to get that number below 2,000 on Jan. 23, the day before the attack.

After the attack, energy workers repaired more than 4,000 residential buildings. Heating was restored to 1,600 buildings overnight on Jan. 24 and the rest — during the day on Jan. 25, according to the mayor.

Klitschko said on the evening of Jan. 25 that 340 multi-story buildings were reconnected to the heat supply. Still, 1,330 buildings remain without heat.

Vitaliy Zaichenko, CEO of Ukrenergo, the state grid operator, told the Kyiv Independent that Kyiv's "left bank" — the part of the city on the east side of the Dnipro River – faced a dire situation when it comes to heating, which is spreading further into the right bank.

"Energy workers continue working to restore services to the homes of Kyiv residents," Klitschko said.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Jan. 25 that 1,300 heating tents, called 'Resilience points,' were set up in Ukraine's capital. He added that 91 heating tents of the State Emergency Service, located between residential buildings in Kyiv's district, are operating.

President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X on Jan. 25 that the main targets of Russia's attacks are currently Ukraine's energy sector, critical infrastructure, and residential buildings.

Zelensky added that during the week, Russian forces launched more than 1,700 drones, more than 1,380 guided aerial bombs, and 69 missiles of different types.

"Every massive attack by Russia can become devastating. That is why missiles for air defense systems are needed every day, and we continue working with the United States and Europe to ensure stronger protection of our skies," Zelensky said.

The latest missile attack took place shortly after trilateral peace talks involving Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington.

The attacks injured a total of 40 people and, in addition to energy infrastructure, damaged 60 residential buildings and 80 civilian vehicles throughout Ukraine, the Interior Ministry wrote on Jan. 24.

Repeated Russian bombardment of Ukraine's energy infrastructure has left major cities without heat, electricity, or water in freezing temperatures.

read also

80% of Ukraine faces emergency power cuts following Russia’s overnight aerial attack, focused on Kyiv

One person was killed, and another four were reported injured in Kyiv as Russia launched a mass attack on the capital overnight on Jan. 24, officials reported.

The Kyiv IndependentLucy Pakhnyuk

‘The situation now is the worst’ — Kyiv’s energy crisis deepens after Russia pounds power grid

Latest: 70% of Kyiv without electricity after Russia hammers Ukraine once again with drones, cruise, ballistic missiles. As Kyiv faces prolonged blackouts and subzero temperatures, officials and energy experts warn that the city’s infrastructure is nearing its limits. Although the number of buildings without heat has decreased since the Jan. 9 mass missile and drone attack, the broader impact of the crisis on daily life is only deepening. According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, about 800 re

The Kyiv IndependentTania Myronyshena

As Russia tries to freeze Ukrainians to submission, families try everything to stay warm

Pechersk is a leafy, affluent neighborhood in central Kyiv. Its prerevolutionary buildings are tucked away from the main roads, surrounded by quiet courtyards and trees. In peacetime, it’s where many Ukrainians dreamed of living. Now, in the fourth winter of the war, it’s 3 degrees celsius (37 degrees Fahrenheit) inside some apartments without additional heating, and the temperature continues to drop. Thick brick walls once insulated the well-off residents from the city’s noise — now they make

The Kyiv IndependentTania Myronyshena