Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power plants during severe frost have been described as 'crimes against humanity', as the city of Bucha struggles with blackouts and freezing temperatures. Mayor Anatolii Fedoruk stated that the attacks, which intensified on 9 January, coincided with a forecasted period of extreme cold, deliberately targeting energy infrastructure to maximise civilian suffering.
In Bucha, daytime temperatures have plummeted to -12C, with night-time lows near -20C. Emergency generators at the main pumping station keep water flowing, but many are frozen or lack fuel. Residents face rolling power cuts, with some areas having electricity for only three to four hours in a nine-hour working day. Cafes like Battkava rely on generators, but owner Oleksandr Bartkov notes that small businesses are closing as energy shortages worsen.
Fedoruk admitted that Bucha cannot adhere to the scheduled rationing of three hours on, six off, but said the situation is better than in some Kyiv tower blocks. He explained that newer districts with distributed power grids are more resilient, whereas Soviet-era systems, which Moscow knows well, are vulnerable. The 9 January strike was timed to hit before the cold snap, compounding the crisis.
In a prefabricated shelter for displaced families, a power cut on 13 January caused indoor temperatures to drop to 6°C within two hours. Manager Vitalina Tsisar described how the generator failed due to freezing, leaving families with young children to huddle in coats until it was restored. The building’s electric heating is insufficient without mains power, highlighting the fragility of humanitarian infrastructure under repeated attack.
