A Kyiv journalist told FRANCE 24 she keeps an emergency bag and has faced extended power cuts, describing the strain on residents as attacks damage Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
On Nov. 7, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country was generating more electricity than it consumed. He attributed shortages in Kyiv and other regions to attacks on substations and grids that carry power to consumers.
FRANCE 24 identified Daryna as a 25-year-old cybersecurity journalist living in Kyiv’s Podil district. She told the broadcaster that her bag contains identification, cash, food, water, a blanket and a pillow. She described a 24-hour outage. She also reported having electricity for only two hours in a day.
Daryna said she usually sleeps in her hallway during air raid alerts after trying other parts of her apartment. She sometimes takes a book to a metro shelter. During the 2025-2026 winter, she said, the temperature in her apartment fell to 9°C.
Kyiv’s transport department says 46 underground metro stations serve as shelters during alerts. More than 40,000 people stayed in the stations overnight into July 6, including nearly 3,000 children, the department said.
The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine verified civilian casualties in Kyiv on 22 days in September. It counted 32 people killed and 340 injured in the city that month.
Energy damage has affected households and essential services across Ukraine. A U.N. tally covering October 2025 through March 2026 recorded at least 423 attacks involving electricity facilities and at least 74 strikes against heating infrastructure.
Zelenskyy said November diplomatic efforts through the Group of Seven, Coalition of the Willing and Ramstein formats would focus on air defenses and energy support. He gave no meeting dates or specific commitments.
