A massive Russian missile strike causes power outages across large parts of Ukraine. Darkness is particularly difficult in hospitals.
An operating room at the Heart Institute in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. In the dim light, a nurse holds a rechargeable light over a patient’s open heart. A colleague with a headlamp hands the doctors cotton swabs and instruments. A heart monitor is beeping in the background. “This is how we operate on the heart today,” explains the country’s best-known heart surgeon, Borys Todurow, in an Instagram video on Thursday.
“Rejoice Russians, today there was a child on the operating table and the light went out completely. Great guys. Very humanitarian people,” says the 57-year-old with a sarcastic tone as he walks through the dark corridors of his hospital.
Tenth month of the Russian invasion
In Ukraine, the tenth month of the Russian invasion began with an unprecedented blackout. After the seventh massive Russian rocket attack on power supply systems since early October, critical hospital infrastructure could no longer be supplied with electricity on Wednesday, even in the specially protected city of Kyiv, which has a population of three million . The water supply failed completely. Large parts of the city also remained without district heating. The metro has reduced its cycle times, while electric trolleybuses have come to a complete stop.
In their dark, unheated apartments, with temperatures still slightly above freezing, Kievans got their first taste of what could come for them and millions of other Ukrainians in the next three winter months.
People are patiently responding to power outages
For the time being, however, Ukrainians accustomed to the crisis have taken the situation in stride, although in some parts of the city there has been panic buying and queues forming at gas stations equipped with electricity generators. People of all ages queued stoically at the capital’s fountains with buckets and buckets of water. While they waited, the children played with empty five-liter plastic containers, while the adults sometimes stood together in groups and talked.
“I stood in line for a good 40 minutes,” says a man named Gaspar as he waits for a car at the velodrome with several full containers. The family home is on one of Kiev’s hills and carrying water uphill is very difficult. Gaspar is not very confident about the authorities’ announcement that the water supply will be fixed soon. “Maybe, but maybe not,” he says with a smirk.
But despite the skepticism, Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported the first success just under 24 hours after the attacks. “Water supply has been restored in all parts of the city,” the 51-year-old wrote on the Telegram news channel. However, there is still not enough water pressure everywhere. And indeed: in the city center, the first drip and tap noise gradually turned into a normal stream of water.
Kievans cheer each other up
The problem with the power supply is proving to be persistent. “The task of restoring the power grid is a matter of hours, not days,” Deputy Presidential Chief of Staff Kyrylo Tymoshenko said on Wednesday. But half of Kyiv was still without electricity on Friday. Dependent cell phone and internet service has also not been restored everywhere.
In parts of the city without electricity where there are subway stations, residents go to the stations to get information from the mobile internet that works there. In other neighborhoods, people in the dark canyons come alive with loud screams. Curses from Russian President Vladimir Putin make it clear that the blackout will not affect the country’s will to persevere.
Paying with a bank card works in the dark
A generator rattled at a coffee stall on downtown’s Golden Gate on Thursday. “Actually, I like coffee with milk better”, an elderly passer-by intervenes in the dialogue with the coffee seller, who asks again if the coffee should really be black. She immediately apologizes: “I like to joke around and just want to lighten up a bit in this chaos.” Wladyslaw responds with a short smile, “It’s not chaos yet.”
He gladly accepts a donation of the equivalent of thirty cents towards the cost of fuel, and payment by card is still possible despite the generator running: “I’m surprised, but there’s a connection to the bank via mobile Internet”, he explains. just before brewing coffee. The next day, the generator disappeared and the electricity apparently came back. Possibly only until the next Russian missile strike.
rfi navigation account, time 20 minutes11.26.2022, 21:19| Law: 26.11.2022, 21:23