Inside windowless Kyiv apartment block, a resident describes survival amid brutal winter
In an interview with NV, residents of a building damaged by a Russian missile on Dec. 13 describe living without windows, without gas, and with lukewarm radiators in the winter cold.
But Kyiv authorities appear to be in no hurry to resolve the situation.
Air defense intercepted all 10 missiles Russia fired at Kyiv on Dec. 13. However debris fell in four districts of the capital, including in the Dniprovskyi district, where a nine-story building caught fire. The building’s facade was damaged by the blast wave and dozens of people were injured and hospitalized.
Most residents ultimately had little choice but to return to their homes. But daily life in the damaged building is now a struggle for survival.
According to Lohvynenko, the building has been declared unfit for habitation.
“It is impossible to live here,” she said in an interview with NV.
“People stay because they have nowhere else to go. Because this is their home, and no one has offered them an alternative."
She described sleeping in windowless apartments, with temperatures dropping to as low as -15 C at night. Unfortunately, there has been no word from the Kyiv City Administration about when the windows might be replaced, only vague promises that the work will be completed by Feb. 13, two months after the attack.
Compounding the problem is a lack of adequate heat.
"I'm touching the radiator right now and it's barely warm,” said Lohvynenko.
“It cannot heat an apartment with no windows. It's also impossible to turn on the heater because the building is on a backup power supply. Since there is no gas and everyone has started cooking with electricity, it is just dangerous to turn on many powerful appliances."
According to Lohvynenko, “one very big problem in this whole story is the lack of communication from the government… This is not the first missile strike in Ukraine, and it is not even the first big strike in Kyiv.”
"I am supported by my faith in the Ukrainian people and my neighbors because I see that we are united,” she said.
“Everyone is doing something. Everyone is supporting each other. Everyone is helping in some way.”
Someday, says Lohvynenko, “the windows will be installed, the gas will be restored, and questions will be answered.
“But the fact is that until all this happens, we will have to live in a place that is not suitable for life. It seems that no one is interested in this disaster except us, the residents of this building. And this is very sad."
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