Kyiv: Following the most recent round of Russian airstrikes on vital infrastructure, basic services were being restored in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, on Saturday as locals navigated a foggy city and prepared for the uncertain holiday season.
A quarter of Kyiv is still without heat, but the mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said that by early morning, all residents had their water supply restored and the metro was back in operation.
He claimed that only about one-third of the city was still without electricity, but emergency outages would still be implemented in order to conserve energy. He posted on the Telegram messaging application, "Because the deficit of electricity is significant."
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According to Ukrainian officials, Russia launched more than 70 missiles on Friday, one of its heaviest barrages since the Kremlin's invasion on February 24. This prompted an emergency blackout across the country.
In the past 24 hours, Ukraine has been able to restore power to nearly 6 million people, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky in a video address.
After the terrorist attack of yesterday, repair work is ongoing. Of course, a lot of work needs to be done to stabilise the system, he added.
The heat supplies are having issues. Water supplies are a major issue, Zelensky continued, noting that the cities of Kyiv, Vinnytsia, and Lviv, which are located further to the west, were having the most trouble.
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Although he also said there was no need yet for people to evacuate, Kyiv Mayor Klitschko earlier this month warned of a "apocalypse" scenario for the capital if Russian air strikes on infrastructure continued. On December 7, he told Reuters, "We are fighting and doing everything we can to make sure that this does not happen."
In a gloomy winter haze on Saturday, officials were putting up a smaller-than-usual Christmas tree in a main square and reopening a popular pedestrian bridge that had been damaged during an earlier air strike.
A massive evergreen typically serves as the focal point of the expansive area in front of the centuries-old St. Sophia Cathedral during the holiday season. However, officials chose a 12-meter (40-foot) artificial tree this year that is decorated with energy-saving lights.
Of Ukraine's 43 million inhabitants, the majority are Orthodox Christians. There would be no public celebrations because the tree was funded by businesses and donors, according to Klitschko.
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Iryna Soloychuk, a resident of Kyiv, arrived with her daughter to see the tree just hours after another round of air-raid alerts wailed across the nation, and she expressed her doubt that it would be a true holiday. But we need to realise that we're all in this together and that we should support one another.