Russian attacks knock out the heat in frigid Kiev as peace talks continue

KIEV – Thousands of apartment buildings in the Ukrainian capital Kiev are again without heating, electricity and water, after Russia launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukraine’s two largest cities early Saturday morning.

“Any Russian attack on our energy infrastructure shows that there should be no delay in the delivery of air defense,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. wrote on social media. “We count on the response and assistance of all our allies.”

The attacks killed at least one person and injured four others, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. The attack came as envoys from Ukraine, Russia and the US held tripartite talks in the United Arab Emirates on ending Russia’s long war against Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said in a social media post that the talks were “constructive” and that military representatives raised issues.

“Provided there is a willingness to move forward – and Ukraine is ready – further meetings will take place, possibly as early as next week,” he wrote.

Despite the talks, Russia has continued to attack Ukraine’s energy network, causing serious damage during the coldest winter since the massive invasion nearly four years ago. Temperatures in Kiev often drop below -10C (14F).

The NPR bureau heard several attack drones flying over Kiev early Saturday morning, along with air defense units trying to shoot them down. Explosions lasted several hours.

Klitschko wrote on social media that half of the apartment buildings in Kiev were left without heating after the strikes. Many residents had only recently warmed up again after previous attacks on January 9 and 20 left them in the cold.

Kiev depends on a huge centralized district heating system that supplies heat to thousands of apartment buildings, some of which are as high as 25 stories.

Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Energy Industry Research Center in Kyiv, says this system pumps hot water through pipes to heat them and also includes installations that generate both heat and electricity. He said Russian attacks damaged these plants and pumps, causing water to freeze and pipes to burst.

“The goal was to kill the city… to freeze the city,” Kharchenko told NPR, referring to the Russian attacks. “And to push (people) out of the city.”

Energy and utility companies have been working for weeks to repair damage to the city’s energy grid.

“It is impossible to rebuild a new building in wartime,” Klitschko, the mayor of Kiev, told NPR on Thursday. “We need a lot of money and time for that.”

He said Kiev is preparing to decentralize the network, but that effort will take time. “To defend ourselves against a Russian attack,” he said, “we need air defense.”

Russia also hit Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, in overnight attacks early Saturday. Local authorities said more than 20 people were injured.