Kyiv closes schools until February as winter blackouts deepen

Kyiv authorities announced on Friday that schools in the capital will close until February as millions of Ukrainians endure winter cold amid blackouts caused by repeated Russian strikes on power plants. Mayor Vitali Klitschko, announcing the closures in a post on social media, said his top priority was “the safety of children.” Klitschko said about 70 multistory buildings in Kyiv remained without heat a week after what the city described as bombardment of heating and electrical infrastructure in and around the capital, while many other buildings, including some schools, have operated with limited heat and rolling power outages.

Kyiv, home to about three million people, has been among the cities hardest hit this year by strikes on energy infrastructure, including power plants, gas storage facilities and electricity substations. The attacks intensified as temperatures plunged well below freezing, and Ukraine’s new energy minister, Denys Shmyhal, said this week that not a single power plant had been spared.

Outages that lasted a few hours in mid-December can now stretch up to a full day, heating supplies have dwindled, and diesel generators and battery backups are no longer enough. Authorities have set up tents and public premises where residents can warm themselves, use electricity and get hot drinks.

Some parents welcomed the decision to close schools.

Key Topics

World, Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, Russia, Denys Shmyhal, Power Plants