[The Epoch Times, November 25, 2022](Epoch Times reporter Takasugi compiled and reported) On Thursday (November 24), many residents of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, which was bombed by Russia again, were clutching empty bottles to find water , or huddle together in cafes for electricity and warmth.
Unbowed a day after a fresh round of missile strikes from Russia plunged the city and much of the country into darkness, Ukrainians continued doggedly shifting into wartime survival mode.
On Thursday, the Russian invasion passed the nine-month mark. In Kyiv, a modern city of 3 million, some scenes are unbelievable: Some Kyiv residents have to collect rainwater from drainpipes for daily use; while maintenance teams work around the clock to restore the power supply system.
Friends and family were exchanging messages to learn where power and water had been restored as quickly as possible. Occasionally, some communities have restored only one of these, but not the other. Many residents lost both in Russia’s airstrikes on Ukraine’s power grid a day earlier.
On Thanksgiving Thursday, water and electricity were miraculously restored to some cafes in Kyiv, which quickly became cozy “oases” in the dark and cold, according to the Associated Press.
Oleksiy Rashchupkin, a 39-year-old investment banker and resident of Kyiv, woke up to find that the water had been reconnected to his third-floor apartment, but there was still no electricity. His freezer had defrosted by itself when the power went out, leaving a pool of water on the floor.
So he went downstairs, jumped into a taxi, crossed the Dnieper from the left bank to the right bank, and entered a café. Because he noticed that the cafe had remained open after previous Russian airstrikes. Sure enough, it still serves hot drinks, hot food, music, and Wi-Fi Internet today.
“I’m here because there’s heat, coffee and lights. And that’s life,” he said.
About 70 percent of the Ukrainian capital was still without power as of Thursday morning, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
While Kyiv and other cities are trying to return to normal, the Kherson region was again bombed by Russian forces on Thursday. It was the heaviest bombing since Ukrainian forces recaptured the southern city two weeks ago.
A witness told The Associated Press that she saw a series of missiles explode outside a coffee shop, killing four people. A woman was also killed next to her home.
It can be seen on the streets of Kyiv that although new cold rain falls on the snow that has not yet melted, the expressions of Ukrainians are still grim and determined. They knew that this winter was undoubtedly going to be a long and hard one. But if Russian President Vladimir Putin was aiming to bring them to their knees, he is miscalculating, local Ukrainians say.
Alina Dubeiko, 34, said: “No one will compromise their will and principles for a blackout. She is also looking for a way to live in another equally crowded, warm and well-lit cafe.” Her home has no electricity, heat, or water, but she continues with her daily work. Dubeco said that, without the usual comforts, she is still using just two glasses of water to wash and wash her hair. After a simple ponytail, you’re ready for the day’s work.
She said she would rather have no electricity than live in a post-Russian invasion city. She said: “Choose a life without electricity, or choose a life without you (the aggressor)? Then choose a life without you (the aggressor)!”
The claim echoed what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky said on Oct. 10 when Russia launched a series of airstrikes targeting critical Ukrainian infrastructure.
Western leaders condemned the bombing. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: “Attacks against civilian infrastructure are war crimes.”
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov acknowledged on Thursday that Ukrainian energy facilities were targeted. But he argued the facilities were linked to Ukraine’s military command and control system and were designed to disrupt the flow of Ukrainian troops, weapons and ammunition to the front lines.
The government of Kiev and the wider Kyiv region reported a total of seven people were killed and dozens wounded in the strike.
Vasily Nebenzia, Russian ambassador to the United Nations, also claimed: “We are attacking (Ukraine’s) infrastructure in response to the fact that a large number of (Ukraine’s) weapons are flowing to the front without restraint, and Ukraine and Kyiv are reckless. A statement calling for the defeat of Russia.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also sought to shift responsibility for the plight of ordinary civilians to the Ukrainian government.
“The Ukrainian leadership has every chance to bring the situation back to normal, to resolve it in a way that satisfies the demands of the Russian side and accordingly puts an end to all possible suffering for the civilian population,” Peskov said.
Although faced with indiscriminate bombing and coercion, the Ukrainians still chose not to give in. In Kyiv, people line up at public water points to get drinking water in plastic bottles.
Sanitation employee Kateryna Luchkina, 31, collects rainwater from drains so she can at least wash her hands in a workplace without water. For her, it was a very unusual new attempt in wartime.
After filling two plastic bottles, she is still waiting patiently in the rain until the drain is full before filling some more. A colleague followed behind her, doing the same thing.
Lucina said: “We Ukrainians are very resourceful, we will find a way, we will not lose our spirit. We will work and live as much as possible in accordance with the daily rhythm. We will not lose hope that everything will be fine.”
The mayor of Kyiv said on the social media platform Telegram that electrical engineers were “doing their best” to restore power. Water restoration teams are also making progress.
Earlier Thursday afternoon, Klitschko announced that water supply had been restored across the capital, with the caveat that “some residents may still experience low water pressure.”
Editor in charge: Ye Ziwei