Winter, bombing, resilience...

A few nights ago Kharkiv was bombed for more than three hours. According to the city's Mayor, strikes targeted energy infrastructure, seemingly with the cynical goal of inflicting maximum destruction and difficulty on the coldest night of the year, I believe, with a low of -24° C. In order to prevent freezing of the network, city authorities had to drain the coolant in the heat supply system of 820 houses, serviced by one of the largest power stations. There was disruption of electric transport (underground trains, trams, etc, which has continued) so additional bus routes were launched. "Kharkiv will survive," Ігор Терехов (Ihor Terehov), Mayor, wrote in his Telegram channel, 03.02.2026.

That night was nearly a repeat of the previous week, when 25 Shahed drones attacked the city over a period of 2.5 hours. 46 people were injured, including two children; one woman died.

Apart from the short-lived 'truce' over last weekend, when attacks on energy infrastructure paused, Kharkiv is experiencing an intensity of Russian attacks, often against energy facilities, as we continue to experience the coldest winter for many years, according to the locals. Kharkiv and other cities, particularly Kyiv, are struggling to repair and restore critical infrastructure to provide electricity, running water and heat. 

Attacks are often during the night but recently came at 7 am, causing another electricity blackout that affected electrified transport and people's ability to get to work. Many of the Kitchen's Ukrainian volunteers live far away from the city centre and rely on public tranport. That morning only the cook and one kitchen volunteer were able to make it on time so a couple of the foreign volunteers stepped in to help prepare food. 

Another target is civilian infrastructure, particularly railways. The intercity high speed train, scheduled to run from Kharkiv to Kyiv, was badly damaged in a bomb attack about a week ago. Amazingly, the route was not cancelled - a replacement train was found and carriages that had just been delivered from the factory. No staff were hurt as they were in shelters (although hundreds of railway workers have been killed since the start of the full-scale invasion).

Following my last blog post that focussed on cold, I didn't think it possible that it could get any colder. But walking home in the afternoon, when it's - 18°C, it's impossible to remain warm for long, despite layers of clothing, thermal socks, thick coat, good boots, and double gloves! If you take gloves off, fingers go numb almost immediately. Cafes are often unheated due to power cuts or conserving electricity, and so you need to keep warm clothes on.

Following one of the power cuts my boiler (water heater) stopped working because of a power surge, which caused the internal plug to melt and the circuit to 'short,' which also meant no electricity for some time. My landlord and several others came over and engineered a temporary fix to the boiler that was less than ideal. (Think "Heath Robinson" if you know the expression!)

I don't really understand this but increased voltage, which seems to  happen after a power outage, can be a bigger issue than under voltage. The apparent consequence of power running at 260v instead of the expected 240v was that the small power station near my apartment gave out sparks and ceased to function. No-one came to fix the power station but, somehow, the electricity to my apartment building was reconnected in a few days.

Hell's Kitchen Update

The Kitchen is warm when the oven is on and doors are closed, which they're frequently not due to people coming and going, and deliveries. There are frequent power cuts and it can take some time to get the generator going. We need to keep the back door open to stop the vegetables that are stored on the stairs from freezing and rotting. We have to be careful when throwing dirty water down the drain outside as it will freeze almost immediately and create an ice rink by the back door! But volunteers remain hardworking and cheerful throughout all adversities...

...as well as imaginative...

One of our volunteers is a chef, in England and Italy, and has treated us to lasagne, risotto and a traditional British Sunday roast.

Birthdays in Hell's Kitchen are usually celebrated in a big way and are a good opportunity to bring us all together. Olena's cake, which she made herself, was one of the most beautiful I've seen, and didn't last long!

There have been a lot of falls on icy pavements amongst volunteers, including a head injury and 3 cases of broken ribs, one so serious that the volunteer was hospitalised and had to return home early. This was worse when we experienced a temporary thaw about a week ago, then freezing rain and ice when temperatures shot down again. Large stretches of pavements (sidewalks) became sheet ice that there sometimes seemed no way to traverse. Some volunteers wore special crampon pull-ons over their boots, but often after it was too late! I was one of those - I fell on my knee just over a week ago, which still hasn't recovered.

Donations

Thank you, as always, for your donations. Over the past few weeks they have been spent on:

Motors and frames for training equipment

Food for families in need in Kherson...

Material for camouflage netting in Kharkiv...

Medication for a child in Kharkiv...

Franklin, Hell's Kitchen, continues to use donations for high urgency military items requests and winter wear. A roll of material that costs $200 US can be used to make 36-40 jackets (or thermal sets), by a team of volunteer seamstresses, without charge. 

26 Brigade received thermals from funds...

An urgent request was received from a military unit for these chain saws to build defences for Kharkiv. These were speedily provided from donations...

Thank you for the donation from Southern Lights Candles, Florida. I sent it to a fundraiser, in cooperation with Adults For Children, to buy a power station to keep the lights on, and charge laptops and mobile telephones, for children and teachers at Kharkiv Professional College of Sports. Classes are held in the basement because the school has been hit by Russian bombs several times. 

Last night I took the night train, leaving the Kitchen and Kharkiv for a break in England and Iceland (both warm by comparison!), for 3 weeks. As always, leaving is really difficult, which may not make a lot of sense, given the problems described above. But I have such a sense of purpose and belonging, it feels as if I'm deserting my role and Kharkiv. Of course, someone will replace my role, and I'm looking forward to seeing family and friends. These include the volunteers in Trawden who regularly send donations from the Community Shop and charity events, as well as support Ukrainian refugees.

I'm on the train to Przemyśl, Poland, a 19-hour journey, trundling slowly enough to watch the thick-snow-covered countryside. When I woke up I enjoyed my customary cup of Carpathian tea in a fancy glass cup.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and thanks, also, for comments.

To make a donation to the regular causes I support, please open PayPal and, when asked for email, enter sunflower_house@hotmail.co.uk

You can specify where you would like your donation to go, including whether or not you wish to support a civilian only cause; otherwise I will send the money where I think the need is greatest:

Adults For Children, Kharkiv, supports children's physical and emotional well being, including those who have been displaced.

Hell's Kitchen cooks daily, nutritious meals and bakes bread, for hospitals, wounded soldiers and others in need.

Franklin, Hell's Kitchen foreign volunteer coordinator, supports soldiers and medics on the frontline.

Inna runs a small group of volunteers who make camouflage nets, ghillie suits and stretchers.

If you would like to donate to a charity that supports animals, there is Animal Rescue Kharkiv.