The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, is preparing for worst-case scenarios in the event of further Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure that could potentially leave the city without electricity or water, according to its mayor Vitali Klitschko. “Our enemies are doing everything to keep the city without heat, electricity and water, and generally want us all to die. This is their duty. And how well we hold up depends on how well we are prepared for different scenarios … so we have to be prepared,” Klitschko said on Sunday.
“It’s not war, it’s terrorism, it’s genocide,” the mayor said of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. The city’s mayor encouraged some residents to consider staying with family and friends outside of Kyiv if the city is left without power or water. “If you have a large family — if we think about the worst case, if we were left without electricity and water — or friends outside Kiev, where there is an autonomous water supply, an oven, heating, keep in mind the possibility that I will stay there for a certain period of time,” he said The Mayor.
“His goal is to make us die, freeze, or make us leave our land so he can have it. That’s what the attacker wants to achieve,” Klitschko said of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some background: Russian forces have hammered Ukraine’s critical infrastructure in recent weeks, severely damaging its power grid and forcing many cities across the country to impose scheduled blackouts. Emergency preparedness: The director of the city’s Department of Municipal Security, Roman Tkachuk, relayed fears later Sunday afternoon that all possible emergency action plans were being considered, but there were no plans to evacuate the city, according to a statement from City Council of Kyiv. Tkachuk said each district within the city will have about 100 heating centers that will operate in the event of a winter emergency. These warming centers will be equipped with heating, lighting, toilets, canteens, rest areas, warm clothes, blankets and an ambulance crew will be on duty near such centers, the statement said.
“The civil protection system must be ready for various scenarios, but this does not mean that we are now preparing for evacuation. To respond effectively, we must have a plan for all possible scenarios,” Tkachuk said.