Russia wants to render Kyiv uninhabitable – NYT

Russia wants to make Kyiv uninhabitable by launching large-scale attacks on its energy facilities.

Source: New York Times

Details: The publication emphasises that Kyiv is out of reach of Russian ground forces but within range of explosive drones and missiles.

Quote: "Russia's goal is to render it uninhabitable. While Kyiv has carried on remarkably well through the years of war, it is most vulnerable when the weather turns cold,"

Details: When deep winter frosts hit Kyiv, Russia intensified its campaign to disable the city's heating and power grids.

According to the NYT, these attacks are intended to undermine the morale of the population and force the government to make concessions in the peace talks organised with the mediation of the Trump administration.

Though, this is not the first time that Kyiv, a city with a population of three million, has suffered power outages, as Russia has tried but failed to freeze Ukraine's largest city, the publication notes.

However, this year, Russian missile and drone attacks are having serious consequences, the NYT emphasises.

The NYT reported that last Friday Russia struck transformer substations in Kyiv and its outskirts. These strikes led to power outages in other parts of the country.

Russia also struck all three power plants in Kyiv that run on natural gas and coal, cutting off the city's internal sources of heat and electricity.

Background:

• Kyiv is currently operating on emergency power outage schedules. Hourly schedules are not in effect. Energy workers are working 24/7 to overcome the consequences of the emergency.
• About 300 high-rise buildings in Kyiv remain without heating (out of the 6,000 that had no heat supply after the Russian attack on the capital on 9 January).

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