On January 21, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that over half a million people had left the city due to extensive outages of heat and electricity following Russian strikes. The situation escalated after the January 9 attack, which left half of the city's apartment buildings without heating. Energy workers restored warmth to most affected buildings, but on January 20, another strike left more than 5,600 multi-storey buildings again without heat – most of which had only just been repaired.
A conflict has arisen between city and central authorities concerning emergency preparedness, with President Zelensky criticizing Kyiv officials and Klitschko responding. Meanwhile, emergency crews are working to their limits: two repairmen died of exhaustion, and many workers are suffering from frostbite and stress.
Energy problems are compounded by an electricity deficit reaching 80-90%. Ukraine is receiving help from partners: Azerbaijan supplied generators, panels, transformers and cables, the Netherlands provided €23 million for urgent purchases, while Slovakia will send equipment worth €500,000.
In Zaporizhzhia, meanwhile, an FSB agent attempted to stab a serviceman recovering after frontline wounds; the assailant was quickly detained and the victim remains in intensive care. This is one of several sabotage cases the SBU uncovers behind the frontlines.
In Lviv, officials stressed that boys aged 17 and up are required to register for military service by July 31, with fines for missing the deadline, but a fine does not exempt from the obligation.
While grappling with the energy crisis, Europe continues to buy Russian oil, which, according to the US Treasury Secretary, actually funds Russia’s war on Ukraine. The US warns that a 500% tariff on Russian oil for EU buyers is possible.
January 21 brought a new wave of attacks: strikes on Odesa region, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk led to casualties among civilians and damage to infrastructure. Meanwhile, families have been evacuated from dangerous regions to Zakarpattia, where they receive psychological and practical support.
