“This is how we operate on the heart today,” the country’s best-known heart surgeon, Borys Todurov, explained in an Instagram video on Thursday. “Rejoice Russians, today there was a child on the operating table and the power went out completely. beautiful guys. Very humanitarian people,” says the 57-year-old with a sarcastic undertone as he walks through the dark corridors of his hospital.
In Ukraine, the tenth month of the Russian invasion has begun with an unprecedented blackout. After the seventh massive Russian missile attack on energy supply systems since early October, critical infrastructure of hospitals could no longer be supplied with power on Wednesday, including in the specially protected city of Kiev, which has a population of three million. .
Blick informs you in the live ticker about current developments in Ukraine.
The water supply failed completely. Large parts of the city also remained without district heating. The subway reduced cycle times, while the electrically powered trolleybuses came to a complete standstill.
In their dark and unheated apartments, with temperatures still slightly above freezing, the residents of Kiev got a taste of what awaits them and millions of other Ukrainians over the next three winter months.
Ukrainians are patiently responding to the power outage
For the time being, however, Ukrainians accustomed to the crisis took the situation with equanimity, although there were panic buying in some parts of the city and queues formed at gas stations equipped with electricity generators.
People of all ages stoically lined up at the capital’s fountains with water containers and buckets. While waiting, children played with empty five-gallon plastic containers, while the adults sometimes gathered in small groups to talk.
“I stood in line for over 40 minutes,” says a man named Gaspar as he waits at the velodrome for a car with several full containers. The family’s house is on one of Kiev’s hills and it is too cumbersome to carry water up the hill. Gaspar has no confidence in the authorities’ announcement that the water supply will be restored soon. “Maybe, but maybe not,” he says with a mischievous smile.
But despite the skepticism, Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko reported the first success just under 24 hours after the attacks. “Water supply has been restored in all parts of the city,” the 51-year-old writes on the Telegram news channel. However, there is still not enough water pressure everywhere. And indeed: in the inner city, the first trickle and rattling of the tap only gradually changed into a normal jet of water.
Kievans cheer each other up
The problem with the power supply turns out to be more persistent. “The task of restoring the power grid is a matter of hours and not days,” deputy head of the presidential office Kyrylo Tymoshenko said on Wednesday. But half of Kiev is still without power on Friday. Dependent mobile and internet service has also not yet been restored everywhere.
In parts of the city without electricity where there are metro stations, residents go to the stations to get information from the mobile internet that works there. In other neighborhoods, people in the dark high ravines cheer each other with loud shouts. Curses from Russian President Vladimir Putin make it clear that the blackout will not affect the country’s will to press ahead.
At a coffee stand at the Golden Gate in the city center, a generator rattled on Thursday. “I actually prefer coffee with milk,” an elderly passer-by joins in the conversation with the coffee seller, who again asks if the coffee really should be black. She immediately apologizes: “I like to joke and just want to lighten the mood a bit in this chaos.” Wladyslaw replies with a grin, “It’s not chaos yet.”
He is happy to accept a donation of thirty cents to cover the petrol costs, and card payment is even possible despite the generator running: “It surprises me, but there is a connection to the bank via mobile internet,” he says. he briefly explains before having his coffee made. The next day the generator is gone and the electricity is apparently back. Possibly only until the next Russian missile strike.
(SDA)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
