- January 15, 2026
- 11:09 pm
- Ukraine
Massive strikes by Russia on civilian infrastructure in recent days have sharply worsened the situation in Kyiv. The capital of Ukraine has been left without stable electricity, heating, and water amid severe frosts. The temperature drops to −18 degrees, and for hundreds of thousands of residents, this is no longer a temporary inconvenience but a matter of survival.
Light and heat disappear in several districts at once. Homes cool down in a matter of hours. People are forced to leave their apartments, seek heating points, or leave the city. Kyiv is gradually entering a mode of energy survival, where even a short outage turns into a serious risk to life.
Against this backdrop, Israeli diplomats continue to work in the Ukrainian capital. Despite the war and extreme cold, the Israeli embassy in Kyiv does not stop receiving visitors. Employees go to work daily, often returning in the evening to apartments without light, water, and heating.
Most diplomats and local staff live in ordinary residential buildings with unstable power supply. Inside the premises, it is cold. People wear warm clothes even at home, sleep under several blankets, and cook food under constant interruptions. Generators are not everywhere, and their capacity is often insufficient.
A few days ago, an incident occurred that became a vivid symbol of what is happening. Consul Katrin Nahshon spent about three hours in a stuck elevator. The electricity in the building was cut off suddenly, and she managed to get out only after a partial restoration of power. In cold conditions, such situations become not just stressful but dangerous.
The Israeli ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky stated that this winter has become the hardest during the entire time of the full-scale war. According to him, the destroyed energy infrastructure combined with extreme frosts creates a risk of turning Kyiv into a practically uninhabitable city. Nevertheless, the staff holds on and continues to perform their duties.
The main part of the work is now related to helping Israelis and the Jewish community in Ukraine. Consular issues, citizen support, coordination of humanitarian efforts — all this happens against the backdrop of constant outages and air raids.
The situation also affects the lives of ordinary families. Due to the lack of heating in homes, authorities discussed postponing the start of the school year. In practice, many parents made a paradoxical but forced decision: to send children to schools where it is warm, despite the risks. Apartments are cold, and school buildings are connected to backup power sources.
Municipal services operate in emergency mode. Utility crews deploy mobile heating points, provide heat to hospitals, maternity wards, social institutions, and community centers. Energy workers try to restore the supply of light and heat, but due to the scale of destruction, this happens slowly and unevenly.
The mayor of Kyiv stated that the latest combined attack was one of the most painful in recent times. The strikes hit critically important facilities, and the consequences are felt throughout the city. Authorities urged those who have the opportunity to temporarily leave for places with electricity and heating.
Millions of people live in the Kyiv region. Many of them now live in complete darkness and severe cold. Social services warn of a real threat to life, especially for the elderly, children, and those without generators or access to heating points.
According to Ukrainian sources, the latest attacks used the hypersonic ballistic missile complex “Oreshnik.” The strikes were part of a massive wave that included hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles across the country. In Kyiv, the death of at least four people has been confirmed.
Jewish communities in recent days have received additional fuel for generators and emergency equipment. Assistance was provided by the Chabad network in Ukraine, launching an emergency operation to support people in Kyiv and other cities. This help allows community centers to continue operating and literally saves lives.
Those left without heating were offered evacuation to the educational village Or Avner in the Zhytomyr region, where heating systems are operational. One of the Kyiv rabbis noted that many people live in unbearable conditions, and the combination of war and severe cold is frankly catastrophic.
Winter in Ukraine is once again becoming a weapon. And in these conditions, the presence of Israeli diplomats in Kyiv is not a formality but daily work on the edge of the possible. This is what NAnews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency writes about, capturing the reality of war not by reports but by how it is felt in the cold, dark apartments of the besieged city.
