Written By Lisa Murimi
Inside a battered thermal power station in Ukraine, patches of snow sit incongruously among twisted metal and shattered walls.
Engineers scramble to repair the damage inflicted by relentless Russian airstrikes, braving sub-zero temperatures and precarious conditions.
Russia’s latest mass attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure—its second this month—has further strained a system already crippled by losing 9GW of generating capacity.
Workers like Oleksandr, sheltered under plastic sheets and huddled around makeshift braziers, face an uphill task.
“We don’t even have time to fix the walls,” he says.
Despite the devastation, Ukraine’s resilience shines. Western allies, including the European Commission and the U.S., have provided funds to aid restoration, but the battle to keep the lights on is relentless.
In Kyiv’s tower blocks, residents innovate to maintain basic comforts.
In one 25-storey building, neighbors pooled resources to install a generator, providing hot water and a functioning lift.
“It’s scary how happy I am to have these basics,” says Nataliya Andriyko, a resident.
Even as power cuts define daily life, creativity thrives. A new film, Zbory OSBB, humorously captures the struggles of residents navigating Ukraine’s energy crisis.
For writer Ivan Melashenko, humor is essential. “It’s impossible to endure this stress without positive emotions,” he says.
