It has been a long, dark, cold winter for people still living in Ukraine. In some of the coldest parts of January ongoing attacks to infrastructure left hundreds of thousands of people across Kyiv and throughout the country without electricity or heat, or sometimes without both.
People in Ukraine Share Their Experiences Living with Frequent Power Outages
Svitlana Hordia lives in Poltava city. While her apartment is warm because there is a working boiler near her place, the electricity is off often. Nearly every day.
“It’s very hard for me when the electricity is out. I used to love reading, but now because of my eyesight, I can’t. In the dark, all I can do is sit. I am afraid to walk in the dark – I can fall. I also have high blood pressure, which makes it even more dangerous. Darkness is very difficult for me, and it frightens me,” she said.
Photo: Angela Hill / Canadian Red Cross
Svitlana receives nearly daily visits from a Ukrainian Red Cross social helper, through the home-based care program, supported by Canadian Red Cross.
“It makes me feel lighter knowing that I am not forgotten, that someone cares and asks how we are living – it means so much. You don’t feel left alone. Loneliness is very hard and I always look forward to Olena’s visits. She has become like family to me, like a daughter,” Svitlana said.
Support That’s Helping People Get Through Each Day
Many people who shared their stories said, knowing there is support from around the world, helps in the difficult time. This is even true for Ukrainians working on the Canadian Red Cross team.
“Knowing we are not alone, that there are other people that are thinking of us, supporting us somehow, just saying good words. That’s a really great thing. That’s really important,” said Daria Bobkova, a Canadian Red Cross finance coordinator in Ukraine.
Daria lives in Kyiv, where she spent many weeks without heat. Outside the temperature would drop below -20 C, and in her apartment, it would hover around 12-14 C.
She describes how every time there is power, she makes sure everything that needs charging from emergency lights to battery packs are plugged in. This happens so there is light and a way to charge her cell phone the rest of the time.
“I would say that everyone feels like they have a really hard emotional and mental situation because every time you are scrolling social media, you see all this awful news about the blackouts, sometimes it’s hard to concentrate … on moving forward,” said Anastasiia Dobryn, a Canadian Red Cross program officer in Poltava.
She has found comfort and support in moving back in with her parents. Choices like this are happening around Ukraine as people continue to be resilient after four years of conflict, and as they wait for the warming of spring.
How You Can Support People and Communities in Ukraine
To learn more about how the Canadian Red Cross is supporting people and communities in Ukraine, visit: Ukraine | Canadian Red Cross.
To make a donation, visit: Ukraine humanitarian crisis appeal. Money raised will enable the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to respond to humanitarian needs generated by years of conflict, as well as preparedness and response efforts due to heightened tensions in Ukraine.
