KYIV (Reuters) – The mayor of Kyiv warned on Wednesday of the risk of an “apocalypse” for the Ukrainian capital this winter if Russian airstrikes on infrastructure continue and warned that an evacuation of the city cannot be ruled out. population.
“Kyiv could lose its electricity, water and heat supply. The apocalypse could happen, like in Hollywood movies,” Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in an interview with Reuters.
“But we are fighting and doing everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen,” added the former world heavyweight boxing champion.
Vitali Klitschko says 152 civilians in Kyiv have been killed and 678 buildings destroyed since the Russian invasion began on February 24, but the city faces new challenges this winter, with Russia regularly pounding Ukraine’s power grid with missiles.
The picture is grim: Kyiv does not have enough heated shelters to accommodate its 3.6 million people in the event of a “blackout” and people must be ready to evacuate if the situation deteriorates, says Vitali Klitschko . Nearly 500 autonomous heating centers had been prepared “but for a city of 3 million people, 500 shelters is nothing,” he said.
Vitali Klitschko sketched out a scenario in which the city could be left without central heating at a time when temperatures can drop to -15 degrees Celsius.
(French version Nicolas Delame)
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