On the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, volunteers fill plastic containers with hot soup for residents who, bundled up in heavy coats, are queuing for a meal they cannot prepare at home. Among them is Yuliia Dolotova, a mother of two, who is waiting with her 18-month-old son, Bohdanchykwrapped in several layers of clothing to protect himself from the biting cold.
Life, she explains, has been reduced to the essentials: warmth, light, and food. "All day long, there's no electricity, no way to cook for the children. Almost everyone is in this situation.", entrusts Yuliia Dolotova, 37 years old.
She lives in the Troieshchyna district, one of the hardest-hit areas of Kyiv, which has been subjected to repeated Russian attacks since the large-scale invasion four years ago. Russian strikes, using drones and missiles, have left hundreds of thousands of people without heating and electricity as temperatures plummet to -30 degrees Celsius. Another harsh winter is expected in the coming weeks.
The lack of heating caused water pipes in the neighborhood to freeze and burst, exacerbating the difficulties of daily life.
A weakened electrical grid and constant repairs
Damage to the power grid and power plants has reached its most critical level since the start of the war. As soon as maintenance crews manage to restore heating to some buildings and engineers establish a schedule of power cuts to inform residents, Russia launches another strike. The same work must then be repeated, without respite.
A single mother facing hardship
The difficulties of Yuliia Dolotova are exacerbated by the prolonged absence of her husband, who is fighting in the east of the country and has only seen his youngest son twice since his birth. She is raising her two sons alone. Bohdanchyk et Daniil, 11 years old, as well as the family dog, which rarely goes for walks.
At night, her building, a Soviet-era tower block, remains completely plunged into darkness. Her little boy has learned to hold his cell phone, flashlight on, while Yuliia Dolotova He carries his stroller up six flights of stairs. The stairs have already broken two strollers.
Inside, she switches on the battery-operated lamps one by one. Before bedtime, the two brothers snuggle together to keep warm, playing silently by the frost-covered windows in the lamplight. To try to keep them warm during the night, Yuliia Dolotova insulate their bed with foam.
Waiting for a return to the front
The husband of Yuliia Dolotova is currently deployed in the Zaporizhzhia region, one of the most unstable areas of the conflict. "He should be back soon. I'm living from one leave to the next," she explains. "I'm waiting for his return; that's what keeps me going. We tell ourselves, 'Just a little longer and he'll be here.' We're counting the days."
