Kyiv Residents Endure Power Cuts and Freezing Temperatures as War Continues
In a stark scene of resilience, people in Kyiv, Ukraine, waited in line to receive free hot meals on Friday, after Russian air attacks left their homes without power. The image, captured in a residential neighbourhood, underscores the daily struggles faced by civilians as the conflict grinds on.
Peace Talks Rescheduled Amid Ongoing Violence
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that a new round of trilateral peace talks involving Russian, Ukrainian, and US officials, originally scheduled for Sunday in Abu Dhabi, has been postponed. The talks are now set to take place on Wednesday and Thursday, with Ukraine expressing readiness for substantive discussions. Neither Moscow nor the US has confirmed the new dates, adding to the uncertainty surrounding diplomatic efforts.
This delay comes as Russia continues its military operations. On Sunday, a Russian drone strike on a bus carrying miners in the south-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region killed at least 12 people, described by First Deputy Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal as a cynical and targeted attack on energy workers. The bus was approximately 65 kilometres from the frontline, according to police reports.
Energy Infrastructure Under Strain in Bitter Cold
Ukraine is grappling with a severe cold snap, with temperatures around minus 15 degrees Celsius on Sunday and expected to drop further to well below minus 20 degrees in Kyiv on Monday. Grid operator Ukrenergo has implemented planned outages across the entire country to manage the strain on the battered power grid.
Despite a reported ceasefire on energy infrastructure, initiated at the request of Donald Trump and set to last until Friday, attacks have persisted. Zelenskyy noted that Russia is targeting railway infrastructure and other logistics, and forces have attacked the power grid in two cities across the Dnipro river from the front line, though he did not explicitly accuse Russia of breaking the energy ceasefire.
Additional Attacks and International Developments
Other incidents include a drone attack in the Dnipropetrovsk region that killed a man and a woman in Dnipro, and a strike on a maternity hospital in the Zaporizhzhia region, wounding at least seven people. On the diplomatic front, Ukraine's defence minister thanked Elon Musk for efforts to prevent Russia from using Starlink satellites for drone attacks, citing real results.
Russian forces have reportedly gained control over the village of Zelene in the Kharkiv region and the settlement of Sukhetske in the Donetsk region, with claims of hitting transport infrastructure used by the Ukrainian army. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Czechs rallied in Prague to support their pro-Ukrainian president, highlighting international solidarity amid the ongoing conflict.
